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Washington drawing his sword atCambriil^EasCoinnianiler in Chief. 

Pcige 66 




iGRosET, Nichols ,1f)Co<. ^ 

lis WA'S.HtNCT©]^ &T» 



LIFE 



OF 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN, 



E. CECIL 




BOSTON: : 

CROSBY, NICHOLS, AND COMPANY, 

117 WASinNCTON Street. 

1 S J y . 



'C3S 



rntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by 

Crosbt, Nichols, and Company, 

ia tau Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



PRINTED cr 
G 2 O . C. E A i< 1) i; A V K E V . 



I 



cambridge: 
:lectrottped and printed uy metcalf and company. 



This little book has been written with the 
hope of giving American children some knowl- 
edge of Washington's character. 

Great pains have been taken to make it ac- 
curate, and to avoid the use of long words ; but 
it is not possible to render all the complica- 
tions and responsibilities of Washington's pub- 
lic career perfectly plain to children. 

Enough, however, is accomplished, if they 
can enter into the spirit of his life, and gain 
something of that loyalty to his memory which 
every American should feel. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



George Washington was born tlie 22cl of 
February, 1732, in a house which had belonged to 
his great-grandfather, on Bridge's Creek, near the 
Potomac River, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. 
His fother's name was Augustine Washington ; his 
mother's, before her marriage, Mary Ball. She was 
the second wife of Mr. Washington, and a beauti- 
ful woman. She seems also to have had a strong, 
upright character ; and brought up her children 
exceedingly well. 

Soon after George's birth, his father left the old 
family estate, and Avent to live in Stafford County, 
near Fredericksburg. Bolh these houses have since 
gone to ruin. 

In those days, good schools were very rare, and 
even the rich planters did not find it easy to have 
1 



2 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l743. 

their cliildren well educated. A man named Hobby 
kept the scliool to which George Washington was 
first sent, and taught him to read and write, and 
perhajDS to cipher ; but ]Mr. Washington also gave 
him lessons at home, and seems to have been a 
wise, good father. 

' When George was about seven years old, his half- 
brother Laurence * came home from England, where 
he had been educated. He was about twenty-two 
years old ; had served in the British army, and 
talked much about Avar. George's head was soon 
full of fighting. He used to arrange his school- 
mates in companies, and have parades, reviews, and 
battles. He was often the captain ; but the boys 
showed still more respect for him, by making him 
the judge in their disputes. 

In 1743, when George was eleven years old, his 
father died ; and he was sent away from his mother 
to live with his elder brother Augustine,t in order to 
go to school. His education was very simple : no 
one expected him to be a great scholar. Some very 
neat books in his handwriting have been kept. 
They contain first lessons in geometry, and copies of 

* The eldest son of Augustine Washington's first wife. 
t The second son. 



AGE 11.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 3 

all sorts of forms of business papers, such as mer- 
chants and lawyers use in conveying land, goods, or 
other things. Then come some extracts in verse. 
One book has some queer birds drawn with a pen, 
and profiles of faces, perhaps meant for likenesses of 
the school-boys. 

Pie was very fond of active sports ; he used to 
run, to leap, to wrestle, to toss bars, and to pitch 
quoits.* He could mount and manage any horse, 
however fiery. He was very tall, and all this exer- 
cise made him strong. 

About this time he wrote out " A Hundred and 
Ten Rules for Behavior in Company and Conversa- 
tion." As Washington's manners were remarkably 
composed and dignified when he became a man, let 
us look at some of these rules which he obeyed of 
his own accord while he was yet a school-boy. One 
is, "When a man does all he can, though it suc- 
ceeds not, blame not him that did it." Another is, 
" Play not the peacock, looking everyr^diere about 
you to see if you be well-decked, if your shoes fit, if 
3^our stockings set neatly and clothes handsomely." 
And another, " Think before you speak ; pronounce 

* Iron rings, or plates, which are thrown at a mark. 



4 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l74G. 

not imperfectly, nor bring out your words too has- 
tily, but orderly and distinctly." — " Be not curious 
to know the affairs of others." — " Speak not evil of 
the absent ; for it is unjust." — " Make no show of 
taking great delight in your victuals ; feed not Avith 
greediness ; lean not on the table ; neither find fault 
with what you eat." — " Be not angry at table, what- 
ever happens ; and, if you have reason to be so, 
show it not. Put on a cheerful countenance, espe- 
cially if there be strangers ; for good-humor makes 
one dish of meat a feast." — " Let your recreations 
be manful, not sinful." 

These specimens show that George Washington 
had resolved to avoid doing whatever is unpleasant 
to others. To think much of other people, and little 
of ourselves, is the surest indication of good man- 
ners. From the example of his brother Laurence, 
and from the company of the Fairfax family, — 
neighbors whom he saw often, — he could form a 
good idea of the behavior of a gentleman. 

Wlien he was fourteen years old, he had a great 
desire to go to sea. Ships of war sometimes an- 
chored in the Potomac Eiver. The officers prob- 
ably visited Laurence Washington at his estate of 
Mount Yernon ; and George, no doubt, listened 



AGE 14.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 5 

eagerly to their stories of battles, sieges, and storms. 
All his friends approved of the plan, except his 
mother, who at last gave an unwilling consent ; and 
it is said that his luggage had been j^nt on board a 
ship lying just below Mount Vernon, when Mrs. 
Washington's heart failed her, and she said she 
could not part in that way with her eldest boy. He 
was so thoughtful and manly, that his mother must 
have depended upon him very much ; though he 
usually lived at a little distance from her, with one 
or other of his elder brothers. He was particularly 
fond of Laurence. 

At school he now studied surveying* with great 
care, and such mathematics as might be useful either 
in time of war or in time of peace. Every survey 
is put down in a book with as much care as if the 
land were his own estate. He never in his life left 
things half done. Even as a boy, he was thorough. 
"Pie had acquired the magic of method, which of 
itself works wonders." 

But in these books, mixed up with business writ- 
ings, are found some very sentimental verses about 

* Measuring land carefully by means of instruments. The 
measures are then piit clown on a map, with woods, rivers, 
houses, roads, &c. also marked. 



6 GEORGE ^yASHINGTON. [l747. 

a young laclj. Washington calls her a "lowland 
beauty," and says he was very unhappy, and that 
he never dared to tell her his admiration. It was 
rather the fashion in those days for gentlemen to 
address to ladies what we now thmk very poor po- 
etry ; but they seldom began at the age of fifteen. 
However, rhyming must have been put completely 
out of his head by the active life he led soon after 
this time. 

In the winter of 1747, Washington was making a 
visit at Belvoir, the home of his friends the Fair- 
faxes, when he first met Lord Fairfax, the owner 
of a large tract of land lying between the Rappa- 
hannock and Shenandoah Rivers. The old lord was 
a great fox-hunter, and, being pleased with Wash- 
ington's bold riding, taught him the " noble art " of 
hunting. They became well acquainted, and Lord 
Fairfax saw that he was a hardy, active young man, 
of good judgment, and proposed to him to survey 
and examine his large estate. The land was beau- 
tiful and fertile, but had been seized upon by squat- 
ters.* It was now to be divided. The work would 
no doubt be hard; but Washington was well pre- 

* People who build houses or huts, and live on land Avhich 
they never purchased. 



AGE 16.] GEORGE WASPIINGTON. 7 

pared for it; and in March, 1748, he set out upon 
his first journey into the wilderness, in company with 
George Wilhara Fairfax,* of the Belvoir family. 

It was not much like a journey now-a-days. They 
rode on horseback. The few houses they stopped at 
were dirty and uncomfortable. For instance, in 
Washington's Diary, he writes, "Travelled up to 
Solomon Hedge's, Esq., one of his majesty's justices 
of the peace, where we encamped. When we came 
to supper, there was neither a knife on the table nor 
a fork to eat with ; but, as good luck would have it, 
we had knives of our own." He seems to have 
enjoyed the nights spent in the woods much more 
than those passed in untidy houses. 

In the same journal, Washington speaks of the 
beautiful sugar-maples on the banks of the Shenan- 
doah, of the different kinds of soil, and of the value 
of the land for building. Lord Fairfax had chosen 
well; George Washington was a careful, faithful 
surveyor. 

During this trip, he saw the Indians in their 
homes for the first time. Some of them danced a 
war-dance one night, savagely indeed. The life he 
led for several weeks was rough ; but he was well 



* Lord Fairfax was a distant relation of Mr. Fairfax of Belvoir. 



8 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l750. 

fitted to enjoj its pleasures, and to make light of a 
wetting or a long ride. His work, and liis account 
of the country, j^leased Lord Fairfax so much, that 
he crossed the Blue Ridge, and built a house called 
Greenway Court. It was a solitary dwelling, and 
oj^en to all travellers, Indian or white. Here Wash- 
ington was always a welcome guest, and had many 
a fox-hunt with the singular old nobleman. Lord 
Fairfax knew much of men and books, and had seen 
a great deal of life that was not di-eamt of in the 
woods of Virginia. 

At Greenway Court, Washington read the " His- 
tory of England " and the " Spectator," a much- 
admired English paper. After his surveying expe- 
dition for Lord Fairfax, he was appointed, probably 
through his Lordship's influence, public surveyor. 
He continued in this occupation for three years ; and 
his surveys are so correct, that to this day they are 
used. Think of that! In all these hundred and 
seven years, nobody has been found to do the work 
better than that young man of eighteen or nineteen 
years ! Washington always did his best : this is the 
secret of his success in life. When he was young, 
he thought nothing which he had once undertaken 
too small to be worth doing faithfully. 



AGE 19.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 9 

In 1751, Laurence Washington became very ill, 
and George went with him to Barbadoes. He was 
a kind brother, and the affection between them was 
strong and warm. He had exercised a very impor- 
tant influence over Washington at an age when a 
boy is easily guided by a brother so much older; 
and, all through his illness, he seems to have relied 
entirely on George's strong character. At his death, 
in 1752, he gave another proof of confidence in him 
by leaving in liis hands the management of large 
estates,* though such cares are not usually intrusted 
to men only twenty years old. 

In 1751, Washington was appointed a major in 
the service of Virginia. The country was divided 
into districts, and it was the duty of every major to 
drill the militia of one district. Laurence Washing- 
ton probably obtained the appointment for his brother 
George, who immediately began to study military 
matters with great zeal. 

War was now expected between the English and 
French. Each nation claimed the rich lands border- 
ing on the Ohio River and the Valley of the Missis- 

* At the death of Laurence Washington's child, Washington, 
by his brother's will, became the owner of his beautiful estate of 
Mount Vernon. 



10 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l753. 

sippi ; and each tried to secure the friendship of the 
Indians,* who were to be driven from their hunting- 
grounds at any cost. 

At this time there were no United States. The 
settled part of the country was divided into Colonies. 
People called England " home." If there were any 
fighting, the Colonies would send out their troops 
against the French, either with the regular British 
army, or under " Provincial officers," t as they were 
called. 

The military spirit was strong in Virginia. The 
Ohio River was carefully watched ; and, in 1753, the 
governor decided to send a special messenger to the 
nearest French officer, to find out what his intentions 
were, and, on the way, to visit various Indian chiefs, 
and keep them in friendly humor. It was by no 
means an easy service ; yet the governor intrusted it 
to young Major Washington. 

Indians are childish ; always tempted by presents, 

* Sachem Gachradodow said to the commissioner of Virginia : 
" The great king might send you over to conquer the Indians, but 
it looks to us that God did not approve it : if he had, he would 
not have placed the great sea where it is, as the limit between us 
and you." 

t A Colony was often called a Province ; as the Province of 
Massachusetts P>av. 



AGE 21.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 11 

which the French gave them freely. They made 
many promises to Washington ; but he knew well 
that he could not depend upon them. They are very 
slow, too, in making any agreement; and delayed 
Washington day after day. But he was patient ; 
and, at last, tlu-ee chiefs went with him to the French 
fort. 

The journey was toilsome, " through snow and 
rain, mire and swamp." Fifty-one days had passed 
from the time Major Washington had left Williams- 
burg with Gov. Dinwiddle's letter, when he presented 
it to the commandant at French Creek, about fifteen 
miles south of Lake Erie. He was very politely re- 
ceived ; and, during the two days which the French 
officer required for writing his answer, he examined 
the fort, counted the men and the canoes there, and 
collected all the information he could for the gov- 
ernor. 

When he was ready to return, it was almost im- 
possible to start the Indians. By presents and prom- 
ises, the French delayed them until Major Washing- 
ton became very anxious. The party at last set out 
in canoes ; * but French Creek was full of ice, and 

* Indian boats, made of the trunks of trees, or sometimes of 
bark. 



12 GEORGE AVASIIINGTON. [l732. 

it was very hard to manage them. When they 
began to ride, matters became still worse. The 
horses were soon worn out with travelling in deep 
snow. There were neither houses nor barns. The 
men slept in tents, and the animals fared hardly. 
Washington gave up his own horse to carry the 
bajTi^age, and all the men walked. 

At last he grew very tired of this slow method of 
travelKng, and determined to leave the party, and 
strike through the woods for the nearest branch of 
the Ohio River. A Mr. Gist went with him ; and 
the first day they met an Indian, whom they took as 
guide. Gist knew the Indians well, and both he and 
Washington soon began to suspect this man. From 
his behavior, they thought he was trying to lead 
them to a place where they might be surrounded 
and killed. What could two white men do against 
a party of Indians ? Towards evening, the Indian, 
who was a little in front of them, turned, and fired 
his gun at Mr. Gist. He was not hurt ; and the two 
secured the Indian before he could fire again. Gist 
was for putting him immediately to death ; but 
AYashington would not consent to that. They Avere 
obliged to Avatch him very minutely ; and at last, in 
order to get rid of him, they gave him leave to go 




MajorWashington preventing Gistfrom killing the Indian. 



AGE 21.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 13 

to Lis cabin. Gist followed him, and listened to liis 
steps to be sure that he was out of the way; and 
then the travellers took up their march again, 
though they had encamped for the night because 
Major Washington was weary. 

They went on anxiously, all that night and all the 
next day, till they reached the Alleghany River. 
There was no boat to be seen : they must make a 
raft, and they had only one poor hatchet. They 
worked at the raft a whole day ; launched it at dusk, 
and tried to cross the river : but the raft got jammed 
between cakes of ice. Washington put his pole on 
the bottom of the river, and leaned against it ; but 
the ice came down with such force that he was 
thrown off the raft into deep water. He and Gist 
then succeeded in getting upon an island, Avhere 
they passed the night. Mr. Gist's hands and feet 
were frozen. The next day, they crossed on the ice 
to a house where they were made comfortable. 

The dangers of the journey were over; but all 
the rest of the way was as uncomfortable as very 
bad weather could make it. While Major Wash- 
ington was waiting for horses, he paid a visit to an 
Indian queen. What do you think he gave her? 
" A watch-coat," he says, " and a bottle of rum ; 



14 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l754. 

which latter was thought much the better present 
of the two." 

On the 16th of January, 1754, he was again at 
Williamsburg, and gave Grov. Dinwiddle the letter 
of the French commandant. 

His journal of this trip was published, — a com- 
j^liment much more marked at that time than it 
would be now ; for rough journeys through unset- 
tled country were not unusual then, while print- 
ing was far less common than it is among us. 

The next spring, the Virginia soldiers were early 
in the field. Washington might have commanded 
the whole body ; but he preferred to be the second 
officer, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.* With 
a small force, he worked his way over the mountains 
towards the Ohio River, preparing the roads for 
heavy cannon. 

He found it veiy difficult to get men to enlist. 
Provisions were to be collected, and carried along ; 
and the farmers were very slow to furnish horses 
and wagons. The officers, also, were dissatisfied 
because Virginia gave them much smaller pay than 

* A colonel commands a regiment. A lieutenant-colonel is 
the next officer below him; and a major the next. 



AGE 22.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 15 

the king's troops received from England. They 
considered their work very hard ; and CoL Wash- 
ington agreed with them that they deserved equal 
pay. 

The Indians, also, were a great care. Sometimes 
they brought their families to the camp and lived 
there. They were to be fed, and kept in good- 
humor. The French always gave them presents ; 
but Gov. Dinwiddle did not always supply Col. 
Washington with such articles as pleased their 
fancy. 

Washington wrote constantly to the governor to 
tell what he had done ; to ask the Colony to be 
more liberal ; to mention the soldiers' wants, which 
were very pressing ; and to beg the governor to 
settle difficulties which arose with troops from 
South Carolina. Yet, through all these cares, he 
kept a watchful eye on the French. 

During this summer he fought his first battle. It 
was rather a skii-mish than a battle ; for there were 
very few soldiers on either side. One day in May 
he received from the Half-king (an Indian friend of 
the year before) a message, saying that the French 
were on their march to meet him. Their tracks 
were seen by the Indians, and there was an alarm 



16 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l754. 

at camp. It was necessary to be on the alert ; for 
the French had a great many more men, and might 
shut the troops in on all sides, so as to prevent a 
retreat. But no enemy came in sight for two days ; 
and, at the end of that time, Washington, with forty 
men and a few Indians, went at night to find them. 
A party of French troo^^s w^as encamped on low 
ground, surrounded by rocks and trees. Washing- 
ton was the first on the spot. His men were much 
exposed ; but the French retreated, and several 
prisoners were taken. 

In the postscript of a letter to his brother, Wash- 
ington alludes to this affair, and adds : " I fortu- 
nately escaped without any wound ; for the right 
wing, where I stood, was exposed to and received 
all the enemy's fire ; and it was the part where the 
man was killed, and the rest wounded. I heard the 
bullets whistle ; and, believe me, there is something 
charming in the sound." 

The letter was published, and these words Iiap- 
pened to come to the ears of King George II. 
"He would not say so," observed the king, dr^ly, 
"if he had been used to hear many." "Washington 
himself thought so when more experienced in war- 
fare. Being asked, many years afterwards, if he 



AGE 22.] G::0RGE WASHINGTON. 17 

really had made such a speech about the whistling 
of bullet?, 'If I said so,' replied he, quietly, 'it was 
when I was young.' He was, indeed, but twenty- 
two years old when he said it. It was just after 
his first battle. He was flushed Avith success, and 
was writing to a brother." 

The danger of his position was much increased 
by this little action ; for he expected a large French 
force immediately to avenge the defeat. He pre- 
pared himself as well as possible, and the Half-king 
promised more Indians. 

Later in the season, "Washington employed his 
men in making a military road. While thus occu- 
pied, he received news that the French would soon 
be upon him. It was necessary that all the troops 
should be united on one spot ; and all the officers 
agreed that Great Meadows, near the Youghiogeny 
River, in the southwest part of Pennsylvania, was 
the proper place. A small fort had already been 
built there. A retreat was accordingly begun ; but 
the road was rough, the guns were heavy, and the 
men out of spirits. The work seemed much harder 
for some of them than for others, on account of the 
differences of pay and rank, previously mentioned. 
Washington and the other officers gave up their 
2 



18 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l754. 

horses on the march ; and when they began to 
strengthen the fort, he joined with his men in cutting 
down trees, and roUing up the trunks to form a breast- 
work. Their movements were not at all too speedy. 
The French and Indians soon made their appear- 
ance, and firing was kept up on both sides for a day. 
" Col. Washington, in person, continued outside the 
fort the whole day, encouraging the soldiers by his 
countenance and example." At night the French 
offered to treat with him ; and Washington agreed 
to give up the fort, on condition that he and his 
troops should be free to march home without any 
trouble from the enemy. They were also to carry 
away all their possessions except the cannon, which 
were to be destroyed ; and to send back the prison- 
ers taken in May. 

It was afterwards found that Washington and the 
French had understood some of the articles of this 
agreement quite differently. This, however, is not 
strange, as they were written in French, which 
Washington could not read, and were translated 
into English by a Dutchman. 

When Washington arrived at Williamsburg, and 
made his report to the Governor, he received the 
thanks of the Colony for his services. He was al- 



AGE 23.] • GEORGE WASHINGTON. 19 

ready a marked man in Virginia ; but in the follow 
ing autumn, he withdi'ew from her military service- 
on account of the Governor's lowering the rank of 
all Virginia officers. 

He had, however, no more than time to attend to 
his private business before he received an invitation 
which was most agreeable to him. In the spring of 
1755, Gen. Braddock commanded an expedition 
against Fort Duquesne.* Two regiments, each of 
about five hundred men, had come from England, 
with cannon, light horse, and all the appointments of 
a well-equipped army. Some Provincial troops and 
Indians also swelled the number. Washington had 
never seen such complete preparations for war. He 
longed for a share in the glory of the campaign ; f 
and Gen. Braddock, hearing of his past experience 
and merits, invited him to be one of his aides-de- 
camp. X Gen. Braddock had seen much service, 
and was extremely exact in military disciiDline. He 

* A French fort at the meeting of the Monongahela and Al^ 
leghany Rivers, where the town of Pittsburg now stands. 

t A single season of fighting, perhaps one summer, is called a 
campaign. 

X Officers who deliver a general's orders on a field of battle, 
write for him, and live in his family in camp. 



20 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l755. 

was hasty-tempered and obstinate, but an honor- 
able man. 

Washington's mother dreaded the dangers of fron- 
tier war so much, that she went to Mount Yernou 
to beg of him not to expose himself to them again. 
But not all his respect for her could induce him to 
give up such an opportunity of gaining information 
and distinction. 

The army marched from Alexandria, in Virginia, 
to Fort Cumberland, in Maryland ; thence to Little 
Meadows, to Fort Necessity, and to Great Mead- 
ows, in Pennsylvania, Avhere Washington had com- 
manded the year before; thence on tow^ards Fort 
Duquesne. 

When they were about starting, Washington 
looked with dismay at the amount of baggage wdiich 
was thought necessary. He, wdio knew well the 
roads, and the want of roads, dreaded the labor of 
carrying such heavy loads through the mountainous 
country before them. But Gen. Braddock thought 
little of the opinion of a young gentleman who had 
never fought out of the Provinces. 

The march was very slow ; for the General could 
not be persuaded to alter any part of the sjstem 
which would have been useful in a civilized country. 



AGE 23.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 21 

He M'as perpetually delayed for want of hoi^es, 
wagons, and forage ; * and he had neither pa- 
tience nor skill in dealing with the Indians and 
the half-wild hunters of the frontier, f who might 
have been very useful to him. 

At every halt, Washington diligently studied the 
arrangement and discipline of the army ; but he 
was amazed, and rather disgusted, at the luxurious 
habits of the officers. What seemed to him most 
unnecessary articles weighed down the baggage- 
wagons. 

At last, after a struggle over the Alleghany 
Mountains, Gen. Braddock bent his pride to ask 
Washington's advice. It was readily but modestly 
given. He proposed to the general to divide the 
army ; to advance himself to Fort Duquesne with 
his lightest and choicest troops ; and to leave the 
heavy guns, the baggage, and all that could delay 
a march, to be brought on afterwards. In his 
judgment, it was of great importance to save time, 
and to reach the fort before the French could be 
reinforced. 

* Hay, straw, and oats, for the horses of an army, 
t The border of a country, often used when one part is set- 
tled and the other unuihabited. 



22 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l755. 

His advice was accepted, but hardly acted upon. 
The officers of the advance still required a great 
deal of baggage. Washington himself took only 
what would half fill a trunk : he also gave up his 
best horse to serve as a pack-horse, it being the 
fourth he had lost during the season. The march 
seemed to him a very slow style of proceeding. 
In a letter to his brother, he says: "I found, that, 
instead of pushing on with vigor, without regarding 
a little rough road, they were halting to level ev- 
ery molehill, and erect bridges over every brook ; 
by which means we were four days in getting 
twelve miles." 

Perhaps he had some reason to be glad of this 
slowness ; for, on the 24th of June, he was so ill 
with fever and headache, which he had been strug- 
gling against for several days, that he was ordered 
by the general to remain behind. At the same 
time, Braddock gave him his word of honor that 
he should rejoin the advanced part of the army 
before the attack on the fort. Washington confided 
to Capt. Orne, another aid, that he would not miss 
it for five hundred pounds. He was obliged to 
wait until the 3d of July ; and after travelling for 
five days in a covered Avagon through a rough 



AGE 23.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 23 

coimtry, he reached the nrmy the day before the 
battle. The troops had had a most toilsome, anx- 
ious march, with the Indians perpetually infesting 
them, firing from secret places, and picking off a 
man or two at a time. 

On the 9tli of July, the army turned out in full 
array, with drums beating, colors flying, every regi- 
ment in orderly ranks, and all in high spirits, confi- 
dent of victory. They crossed a ford of the Mo- 
nongahela, and wound along its banks shortly after 
sunrise ; and Washington was so delighted with their 
appearance, that he not only spoke of it at the time, 
but used in after life to describe the effect which this 
first sight of a gallant army had upon him. About 
noon they crossed a second ford, and began to ascend 
a rising ground. It was wooded, with no opening 
but a road about twelve feet wide, and had on both 
sides deep ravines entirely hidden by trees and 
bushes. 

Gen. Braddock had scorned a recommendation 
of Washington's to use Indian scouts or Virginian 
woodsmen to explore such thickets ; but suddenly 
his advanced troops under Col. Gage were at- 
tacked by a party of French and Indians, and 
thrown utterly into confusion. The men refused 



24 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l755. 

to obey the orders of their colonel, and fell back. 
Gen. Braddock ordered up more troops from the 
rear, kept the centre of the field himself, and 
vainly endeavored to form platoons.* It was a 
last and foolish attempt to adhere to a system ut- 
terly nnsuited to the place. The only chance of 
safety was in scattering, and fighting in Vir 



a:inian. 



or rather Indian fashion, from behind trees. Panic 
became general; for the enemy seemed invisible; 
they fought from the ravines, of which the English 
knew nothing. Washington admired greatly the 
bravery of the officers, and equally attracted their 
attention by his composure and gallantry. The 
other aids were wounded early in the day, and he 
alone carried all the general's orders to every part 
of the field. Two horses were shot under him, and 
four bullets passed through his coat. All the hor^ 
rors of the scene seemed only to rouse his ardor, 
and he made every effort to animate the men. At 
one time he was sent to bring the artillery into ac- 
tion. He found the men paralyzed with fear. Their 
commander had fallen at the head of his regiment. 
Washington sprang off his horse, wheeled and 

* A platoon is composed of about fifty men, arranged in a 
double row. 



AGE 23.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 25 

pointed a cannon, and fired into the woods, — a 
place where clearing was much needed ; but all was 
in vain. The soldiers were utterly daunted, and it 
is said that the yells of the Indians dismayed them 
even more than their firing. 

At last, after having seen his brave officers fall 
by tens about him. Gen. Braddock received a mortal 
wound, and was with great difficulty carried off the 
field. In his despair, he desired to be left there to 
die. 

Then flight became general ; every man escaped 
as best he might. The French and Indians were 
prevented from pursuing them by the rich booty 
they found on the battle-field. 

The first care of the survivors was to collect the 
scattered remnants of their once gay army, and to 
provide for the wounded. Gen. Braddock died 
four days after the battle, at Great Meadows, — the 
scene of Washington's surrender the year before. 
It is said that, in his last moments, he apologized to 
Col. Washington for the manner in which he had 
rejected his advice, and left him a favorite horse, 
and his faithful servant Bishop, ^^dlo had helped to 
carry him from the field. He also expressed much 
gratitude for the kindness of the Virginians; but 



26 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l753. 

his spirit was broken by the humiliation of such a 
defeat.* 

"Washington, still weak from his severe illness, 
accompanied the wounded officers to Fort Cumber- 
land. The panic spread from the soldiers to the 
country people, and terrible reports of the destruc- 
tion of the whole army ran from mouth to mouth. 
Washington wrote to his mother to assure her of his 
safety. To his brother he says : " As I have heard, 
since my arrival at this place, a circumstantial ac- 
count of my death and dying speech, I take this 
early opportunity of contradicting the first, and of 
assuring you that I have not yet composed the latter. 
But, by the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, 
I have been protected beyond all human probability 
or expectation ; for I had four bullets through my 
coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped 
unhurt, though death was levelling my companions 
on every side of me. We have been most scanda- 
lously beaten by a trifling body of men ; but fatigue, 
and want of time, prevent me from giving you any 
of the details until I have the haj^piness of seeing 

* He, however, never knew that the whole force of the enemy 
consisted of but eight hundred and fifty-five men, — a mere de- 
tachment from the main French army. 



AGE 23.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 27 

jou at Mount Vernon ; which I most earnestly wish 
for, since we are driven in thus far. A feeble state 
of health obliges me to halt here for two or three 
clays to recover a little strength, that I may thereby 
be enabled .to proceed homeward with more ease." 

Washington made only a halt at Mount Vernon ; 
for, in August, the command of all the Virginia 
forces was offered to him.* This is a proof of the 
position he held in '' the Old Dominion," at the age 
of twenty-three, when his only military experience 
had been that of disaster and defeat. His abilities 
had been perceived, without the light of success to 
exhibit them ; and his fellow-citizens believed that 
his wisdom might have saved Gen. Braddock's army. 
He writes to his brother : " So little am I dispirited 
at what has happened, that I am always ready and 
always willing to render my country any services 
that I am capable of, but never upon the terms I 
have done; having suffered much in my private 
fortune, besides impairing one of the best of consti- 
tutions." 

* The governor wrote to England that he had given this com- 
mand to Col. George Washington, " a man of great merit and 
resolution"; and adds on the subject of commissions, "I am 
convinced, if Gen. Braddock had survived, he would have rec- 
ommended ;Mr. Washington to ihe royal favor." 



28 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [1755. 

Jnst before he received the news of his appoint- 
ment, his mother wrote to him, urging him to re- 
main at home. lie answered her that he would 
avoid the offer, if possible ; but that, if it Averc 
pressed upon him on such terms " that it would 
reflect dishonor on him to refuse it," he was sure 
that would give her more uneasiness than his going 
" in an honorable command." This appears to have 
been the last time that Mrs. Washington interfered 
at all with her son's plans. She was less ambitious 
of his military distinction' than he at this time ; but 
it is likely that, with " a high temper, and a ppint 
of command," Washington inherited from her the 
readiness to sacrifice his own wishes to the public 
service which distinguished him through life. 

His new command gave him a rank that satisfied 
him ; and he felt, from the beginning, that he could 
not be more needed in any place than on a frontier 
open to the stealthy but fierce attacks of the Indians. 
He fixed his head-quarters at Winchester, Virginia ; 
and endeavored to protect and calm the neighbor- 
hood, which was in a state of terrible panic, not only 
from the murders and plunderings actually commit- 
ted by the Indians, but from false alarms, which 
were caused by the merest trifle. The siaht of 



AGE 23.] Gi:ORGE WASHINGTON. 29 

strangers near a solitary house, the noise of a few 
drunken soldiers, would alarm a whole county, and 
send expresses riding night and day to find Col. 
Washington. 

Yet he had the greatest difficulty in inducing men 
to enlist. The country was unused to war ; and 
every man thought he could protect his own family 
and farm best by staying with them, rather than by 
joining the regiment to fight for the common good. 
The government, too, had little idea of the expenses 
of war, and kept the Commander-in-chief but scan- 
tily supplied with money. His letters to Gov. 
Dinwiddle frequently mention the soldiers' wants. 
Pay, food, clothes, or shoes, fell short ; and all com- 
plaints were, of course, carried at once to the 
Colonel, who, in his turn, was obliged to apply to 
the Governor and Council, or to the House of Bur- 
gesses.* It was difficult for him to obtain supplies 
from those country people who had not yet been 
paid for the provisions or wagons furnished to Brad- 
dock's army. 

He wrote very earnestly to the Governor, about 



* This, in a Colony, was like the present House of Representa- 
tives in a State. 



30 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l756. 

the military laws of the Colony, as they rather 
hindered than helped the discipline which he was 
very anxious to keep up. After much dela}^, he 
succeeded in getting them altered. His military 
knowledge, acquired by reading,* and by his own 
severe experience, was of great use at this time ; 
and while he spared no pains to have his men well 
drilled according to rule, he prepared them to meet 
the Indians by constant practice in " bush-fighting." 

Though busy with these duties, Col. Washington 
did not fail to watch the progress of the war at the 
North. This French and Indian war was carried 
on in Canada and New York, as well as near the 
Ohio ; and the New England Colonies also sent their 
share of men to the field. 

In February, 1756, Col. Washington was sent to 
Boston to procure Gen. Shirley's decision of a ques- 
tion of military rank which had caused a dispute 
between Maryland and Virginia. Also it was hoped 
that he would learn the plans for the next season. 

* In an address to his oflBcers at this time, he says : " Do not 
forget that there ought to be a time appropriated to attain knowl- 
edge, as well as to indulge in pleasure ; and, as we now have no 
opportunities to improve from example, let us read for this de- 
sirable end." 



AGE 24.] GEORGE WASHINGTOX. 31 

This was his first visit to cities ; but his fame had 
gone before him, and he was cordially Avelcomed in 
Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, Braddock's 
defeat was still talked of, and the name of Washing- 
ton was not unknown. Those who expected to see 
a hero could not have been disappointed in his ap- 
pearance ; * for he was tall, well proportioned, with 
a handsome face, and a noble, military air. He was 
a fine horseman, too, and always well mounted. 
Two other Virginia .officers were with him, and no 
doubt the little party made a sensation. 

In Boston, Washington accomplished his errand 
successfully. Gen. Shirley's decision placed him in 
a rank with which he jvas contented, though he 
would have liked very much to have been made a 
king's officer. The plan for the next summer in- 
cluded an attack on Fort Duquesne ; at which he, 
of course, expected to be present. 

In New York, it is said that Col. Washington ivas 
quite charmed with Miss Mary PhilijDse, — a beauty, 

* A little before this time, he sent orders to London for " three 
gold and scarlet sword-knots, two silver and blue ditto, one fash- 
ionable gold-laced hat"; also for liveries (a kind of uniform) for 
servants. Such things would hardly be used in the fi'ontier camp. 
Thej^ probably appeared on the journey. 



32 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l756. 

an heiress, and a very agreeable lady ; but business 
obliged liim to go back to A^irginia, probably before 
he had made lier aware of his feelings. 

The summer of 1756 was a distressing one at 
"Winchester. The Indians burnt the houses and 
murdered the families of the settlers. Those who 
escaped with their lives fled to the fort. There was 
danger that the most beautiful country in Virginia 
would be left desolate. Women and children en- 
treated Washington to save them, and his heart was 
wrung -Nvhen he thought how little he could do lor 
them. He wrote to Gov. Dinwiddle : '• I am too 
little acquainted with pathetic language to attempt a 
description of these people's distresses. But what 
can I do ? I see their situation, I know their 
danger, and participate their sufferings, without 
having it in my power to give them further relief 

than uncertain promises The supplicating 

tears of the women, and moving petitions of the men, 
melt me into such deadly sorrow, that I solemnly 
declare, if I know my own mind, I could offer myself 
a willing sacrifice to the butchering enemy, provided 
that would contribute to the people's ease." 

On receiving this letter, the Governor immedi- 
ately ordered out the militia. Lord Fairfax, Wash- 



AGE 2;.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 33 

ington's old friend, was already in the field, at the 
head of a troop of horse. But such help was not 
what Washington needed. He soon found that 
militia were the most ti'oublesome and expensive 
kind of troops. They had no idea of obedience, — 
the first duty of a soldier ; they wasted powder and 
provisions ; and they insisted on going home the 
moment their time of service came to an end, let 
the danger to the town or fort they left be what 
it might. 

These troubles it was Washington's lot to bear 
week after week, and month after month ; but he 
very soon wrote to the Governor, that such services 
were not more trying to the commander than ruin- 
ous to the country. To make good soldiers, men 
must be trained, and accustomed to obey and to 
endure. The strength of farmers and workmen fails 
on the march with old soldiers. 

At this time, some of the Virginia newspapers 
attacked pretty sharply the regiment and its com- 
mander. Washington wrote to the Governor : " I am 
sorry to hear of the reflections upon the conduct of 
the olhcers. I could wish their names had been par- 
ticularized, that justice might be done to the innocent 
and guilty ; for it is extremely hard that the whole 



34 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l756. 

corps should suffer reproaches for the inadvertence 
or misconduct of a few." How " hard " it was for 
him, who had made every effort to raise the charac- 
ter of both officers and men ! He was so hurt, that, 
for a little while, he thought of resigning his com- 
mand ; but very affectionate and encouraging letters 
from his friends, persons of influence in the Colony, 
reassured him, and he decided to remain at his post 
of duty, though not of distinction. 

The Plouse of Burgesses now voted a supply of 
money, which it was proposed to spend in building a 
chain of forts along the frontier. Col. Washington 
objected to the plan as too expensive, both in build- 
ings and in men to garrison them ; but it was per- 
sisted in, and he was for a long time occupied in 
selecting the places. He practised, himself, the 
prompt obedience which he required of his men; 
but it must have been no small trial to have had his 
suggestions entirely thrown aside, w^hen they were 
the result of his observation and experience, — Avhen 
he and his men, and the whole country, had suf- 
fered from the want of what he recommended, — 
and when he expressed himself in his letters fully 
and respectfully. 

His correspondence with the Governor became 



AGE 24.] . GEORGE WASHINGTON. 35 

very embarrassing ; and, towards the close of this 
year, there was a marked change in the style of it, 
probably because the Governor on one occasion ac- 
cused him of having used an unmannerly expression. 
Washington's self-command and sense of propriety 
led him to defend himself in respectful language, 
but his letters could not be so friendly as before. 
Gov. Dinwiddle was also excessively uncertain in 
his orders, and omitted to give Washington the in- 
formation necessary to guide his movements. Wash- 
ington asked for directions about Fort Cumberland 
in Maryland. " The following," says he, • " is an 
exact copy of his answer : ' Fort Cumberland is a 
hinges fort, and built chiefly at the charge of the 
Colony ; therefore, properly under our direction 
until a new governor is appointed.' Now, whether 
I am to understand this ay or no to the plain, 
simple question asked, ' Is the fort to be continued 
or removed ? ' I know not ; but, in all important 
matters, I am directed in this ambiguous and uncer- 
tain way." 

On another occasion. Col. Washington wrote to 
a friend: "Whence it arises, or why, I am truly 
ignorant ; but my strongest representations of mat- 
ters relative to the frontiers are disregarded as idle 



36 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l757. 

and frivolous, my propositions and measures as par- 
tial and selfish, and all my sincerest endeavors for 
the service of my country are perverted to the worst 
23urposes. My orders are dark and uncertain : to- 
day approved, to-morrow disapproved." 

The truth was, that Gov. Dinwiddle and some of 
his friends would have very much preferred another 
colonel in Washington's place. Some of these an- 
noyances were intended to induce him to resign the 
command ; others were caused by the Governor's 
ignorance. He had the vanity to wish to direct 
from a distance the motions of the troops, although 
he was quite ignorant of military matters. 

In March, 1757, Washington asked leave to meet 
Lord Loudoun, then commander-in-chief of the 
British forces in America, at Philadelphia, to learn 
the plans for the next campaign. The Governor 
wrote that Lord Loudoun was to consult the South- 
ern governors ; " therefore I cannot conceive what 
service you can be of in going there, as the plan 
concerted will, in course, be communicated to you 
and the other ofncers. However, as you seem so 
earnest to go, I now give you leave." 

Washington had very good reason to believe that 
Lord Loudoun had been prejudiced against him by 



AGE 23.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. o7 

false statements ; he therefore, a month before his 
visit, sent a letter describing fully the condition of 
things in Virginia ; — the want of men, money, 
clothes, and tools ; the trouble and expense of 
building and keeping up forts ; the imperfect mil- 
itary laws ; and the cunning and fierceness of the 
Indians and French. He concluded with a hope 
that he and his regiment might receive king's * 
commissions. Of his men he says : " I must beg 
leave to say, that the regiment has not been inac- 
tive ; on the contrary, it has performed a vast deal 
of work, and has been very alert in defending the 
people. This will appear from the fact, that not- 
Avithstanding we are nearer the French and their 
Indian allies, and more exposed to their frequent 
incursions than any of the neighboring Colonies, 
yet we have not lost half the number of inhabit- 
ants that others have done, but considerably more 
soldiers in their defence." Of himself he writes : 
" And now, before I conclude, I must beg leave to 
add, that my unwearied endeavors are inadequately 
rewarded. The orders I receive are full of ambi- 
guity. I am left, like a wanderer in the wilderness, 

* A commission gives authority to an officer to act according 
to his rank. It is usually signed by the king. 



38 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l757. 

to proceed at hazard. I am answerable for conse- 
quences, and blamed without privilege of defence." 

You can see from this letter, that, though Wash- 
ington would not suffer himself to be driven from 
his post, he took pains to right himself where he 
believed he had been injured. Lord Loudoun re- 
ceived him cordially at Philadelphia ; consulted him 
on many points of the next campaign ; and directed 
him in future to correspond with Col. Stanwix, who 
became his friend. 

The great efforts of the summer were to be in 
Canada ; and Washington advised an attack on 
Fort Duquesne, saying that it would be an excellent 
opportunity, as the French troops would be with- 
drawn to the North. He had been longing to 
march into the enemy's country, being sure that one 
attack would do more good than all his continual 
defences. But, with his means, it had always been 
impossible. Nor would Lord Loudoun now agree to 
his plan. Col. Washington was also disappointed 
in getting his regiment placed on the same footing 
with the regular army. He was never to be the 
officer of any king. 

The summer of 1757 wore on, with Washington 
pursuing the same tedious, painful course as in the 



AGE 25.] GEORGE V/ASHINGTON. 39 

previous year. His force was still entirely insuf- 
ficient to protect the people, who moved from their 
homes into the thickly settled country, so that the 
Colony was constantly growing smaller and smaller. 
" I exert every means," he wrote to Col. Stanwix, 
" to f)rotect a much-distressed country ; but it is a 
task too arduous. To think of defending a frontier 
of more than three hundred and fifty miles' extent, 
as ours is, with only seven hundred men, is vain and 

idle I am, and have for a long time 

been, fully convinced, that, if we continue to pur- 
sue a defensive plan, the country must be inevita- 
bly lost." 

This year, Col. Washington was under two heads, 
as it were, — Col. Stanwix and Gov. Dinwiddle. 
The contrast in their modes of treating him was 
most striking. Col. Stanwix was courteous, kind, 
and liberal ; the Governor was perpetually worry- 
ing, interfering, and ordering. On one occasion, a 
slanderous letter was sent to Washington, which he 
forwarded to the Governor, saying that it v/as clear 
to him that some person had detracted from liis 
character, and that the Governor's conduct was 
changed towards him. He then goes on to defend 
himself, and adds : " That I have foibles, and per- 



40 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. [l757. 

haps many of them, I shall not attempt to deny. 
I- should esteem myself, as the world also would, 
vain and empty, were I to arrogate perfection. 
Knowledge in military matters is to be acquired by 
practice and experience only ; and, if I have erred, 
great allowance should be made for the want of 
them, unless my errors should appear to be wilful ; 
and then, I conceive, it would be more generous to 
charge me with my faults, and let me stand or fall 
according to evidence, than to stigmatize me behind 
my back." 

In the Governor's answer to this letter, he advises 
Coh Washington not to give heed to every idle story 
he hears ; and, after stating his OAvn friendliness, 
accuses him of ingratitude. Towards the end of a 
business letter, Washington answers : " I do not 
know that I ever gave your Honor cause to suspect 
me of ingratitude, — a crime I detest, and would 
most carefully avoid. If an open, disinterested be- 
havior causes offence, I may have offended ; because 
I have all along laid it down as a maxim, to repre- 
sent facts freely and impartiall}", but not more to 
others, sir, than to you. If instances of my un- 
grateful behavior had been particularized, I would 
have answered them; but I have loni? been con- 



AGE 26.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 41 

vinced that my actions and their motives have been 
raahciously misrepresented." In the same letter he 
requests leave to come to "Williamsburg on public 
business. To which Dinwiddle answers : " I cannot 
agree to allow you to come down at this time. 
You have been frequently indulged with leave of 
absence. You know the fort is to be finished; 
I think you were quite wrong in asking it." 

Happily, Washington had not many more of these 
scoldings to bear. In November, he was so ill with 
fever and dysentery, that he Avas obliged to leave 
his command, and spend the winter at Mount Ver- 
non. In January, Gov. Dinwiddle sailed for Eng- 
land. 

In April, 1758, Col. Washington, after a painful 
illness of four months, was again at Fort Loudoun, 
at Winchester. He was encouraged by the expecta- 
tion, that, at last, his favorite plan of taking Fort 
Duquesne would be accomplished. Gen. Forbes, 
who commanded the expedition, and all his officers, 
were disposed to treat Washington Avith great re- 
spect and attention. He began with much spirit 
to prepare his men for an active campaign, and to 
apply for tents, clothing, and other necessaries. 
He wrote to a friend : " My dear Halket, are avo 



42 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l758. 

to have you once more among us ? and shall we 
revisit together a hapless spot, that proved so fatal 
to many of our former brave companions ? Yes : 
and I rejoice at it, hoping it -will now be in our 
power to testify a just abhorrence of the cruel 
butcheries exercised on our friends in the unfortu- 
nate day of Gen. Braddock's defeat ; and, more- 
over, to show our enemies that we can practise all 
that lenity of which they only boast, without afford- 
ing any adequate proofs." 

But it was Col. Washington's fate in this cam- 
paign, as well as every other in which he had to 
unite with regulars, * to have his patience sorely 
tried by long delays. He found to his distress that 
the British officers were unwilling to use Gen. 
Braddock's road, and chose to make a new one 
through Pennsylvania. He remonstrated, both by 
word of mouth and by letter. His reasons seemed 
quite unanswerable, and experience was on his side ; 
but he could not convince the general. It was a 
great disappointment to him that so much time must 
be spent in road-making. In one of his letters to 

* Soldiers who belong to an army, and -whose only business 
is fighting. I\lilitia-men, who come from the plough or the forge, 
are irregular troops. 



AGE 26.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 43 

a friend, he says : " If this oi^inion be acted upon, 
all is lost indeed ; our enterprise will be ruined ; 
and we shall be stopped at the Laurel Hill this 
winter, but not to gather laurels, except of the 
kind that covers the mountains." 

While he was passing the tedious summer in 
waiting for the army, and superintending the mak- 
ing of a road, he received permission from his 
superior officer (in different style from Gov. Din- 
widdle's) to go from Fort Cumberland to Win- 
chester, where his election to a seat in the House 
of Burgesses took place. He declined the offer ; 
preferring to let that matter be managed by his 
friends, rather than, quit his post. 

Earlier in this season, however, a business trip 
of Washington's had proved most important to him. 
He was sent from Winchester to Williamsburg to 
procure from the Council of Virginia the equip- 
ment which was absolutely necessary for the Vir- 
ginia regiment. He travelled, as usual, on horse- 
back ; and, falling in with a Mr. Chamberlayne, 
'was urged by him to dine at his house. Washing- 
ton was quite unwilling to stop ; but Virginian hos- 
pitality seldom takes "No" for an answer, and he 
dismounted. Mrs. Martha Custis was one of the 



44 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l758. 

guests at table, — " a }'Oung and blooming widow, 
with an agreeable countenance, dark-liazel eyes 
and liair, and those frank and engaging manners, 
so captivating in Southern women." After dinner, 
Bishop brought the horses to the door, according 
to orders. There they stood. " For once, Wash- 
ington loitered in the path of duty " ; and it was 
not till the next morning that he was on the road 
again, spurring in all haste for Williamsburg. He 
had but a few days to spend on his business. He 
visited Mrs. Custis as often as possible, and she 
did not require a long time to study his noble 
character. When he turned his face westward 
again, she had promised to marry him at the end 
of the campaign. Perhaps this was one reason 
why he was eager for action : his " laurels " would 
have been won as much for her gratification as 
for his own glory. They corresponded constantly 
through the summer. 

In September, an attack on Fort Duquesne was 
rashly made by Major Grant, wJio was sent forward 
with a detachment. His troops were beaten back 
with terrible loss, and the only men who distin- 
guished themselves were a part of Washington's 
Virginia regiment. He was publicly complimented 
by Gen. Forbes on their " gallant conduct." 



AGE 26.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 45 

He and his regiment were also placed in the ad- 
vance in their chilly November march. Here he 
could, at least, have the privilege of sending out as 
many scouts as he judged best. It was cold, hard 
work to make a road at that season. As they drew 
near the fort, they saw on Braddock's field the 
whitening bones of those who fell there. How 
Washington must have remembered that day of 
horrors two years and a half before ! 

When they reached Fort Duquesne, it had been 
deserted by the French and partly burned. The 
ruins were strengthened; and two hundred men of 
Washington's regiment were left to garrison it, 
under the name of Fort . Pitt. The French had 
abandoned it in consequence of their defeats at the 
North; and, after the French were gone, the In- 
dians became very quiet. 

At the end of this year. Col. Washington resigned 
his commission. Always faithful to his men, one 
of his last letters to the Governor contains a most 
pressing entreaty that the wants of those left at 
Fort Pitt may be supplied. His officers, at part- 
ing, made him a very affectionate and grateful 
address. 

And this was the end of Washington's early mil- 



46 GEORGE r-VASHINGTON. [l759. 

itary career. He had not had the opportunity to 
distinguish himself as some soldiers do, by winning 
great victories ; but he had been faithful, just, Avise, 
and self-sacrificing, in the place where it had pleased 
Heaven to place him. He had borne patiently hard- 
ships, disappointments, and injustice ; and had gained, 
as he deserved, the good opinion of the Yirginians. 

This experience of his youth was a remarkable 
preparation for what he had afterwards to undergo. 
Frontier war was Washington's school; and you 
will see that every lesson he there learned was use- 
ful to him in the Revolutionary war. Neither he 
nor any one else could know, at the time, how val- 
uable these years w^ere to .him. 

Col. Washington was married to Mrs. Custis on 
the 6th of January, 1759. It was a joyful event, 
and a large j)arty of friends and relations met to 
celebrate it in the " good old hosi^itable style of Vir- 
ginia." 

For the next sixteen years, Washington's life 
passed quietly and contentedly. Mrs. Washington 
made him very happy in his home. She Avas gen- 
tle and polite ; free from vanity, or love of show ; 
dignified in her behavior; remarkably kind and 
thoughtful ; and truly rehglous. 



AGE 27.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 47 

Washington had no childi-en, but was very fond 
of his wife's son and daughter by her former mar- 
riage. He was their guardian, directed their edu- 
cation, and took care of their property. Mrs. Wash- 
ington also had a large fortune; and the care of 
these estates, in addition to his own, occupied much 
of his time. 

He was a member of the House of Burgesses ; 
and always studied the business of every day 
carefully, though he seldom made speeches. When 
he first took his seat, in 1759, just after his mar- 
riage, the Speaker of the House* returned thanks 
to him, in the name of the Colony, for his sei-vices 
during the war. " Washington rose to reply ; 
blushed, stammered, trembled, and could not utter 
a word." " Sit down, Mr. Washington," said the 
Speaker with a smile: "your modesty equals your 
valor, and that surpasses the power of any lan- 
guage I possess." 

Public and private business filled up so much of 
Washington's time, that his life on his plantation 
could not be called an idle one. At that time, a 
lively, easy way of living was the custom among 

* A member who is chosen to keep order, and arrange the 
business of the House. 



48 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l759. 

the Yirginians. They visited each other on their 
estates ; entertained strangers with great hospital- 
ity ; and had more fine horses, carriages, and silver 
plate than any other Colony. "\Ylien a British 
man-of-war anchored in the Potomac, tea-parties on 
board, given by the officers, were returned by all 
sorts of gayeties at the neighboring plantations. 
Col. and Mrs. Washington occasionally went to 
Annapolis, the cajDital of Maryland, where they 
made many friends ; and stories are still told of 
Washington's dancing at balls. Mrs. Washington 
rode in a chariot with four horses, and black ser- 
vants in livery. The Colonel always kept very fine 
horses for himself and guests, and many dogs, chiefly 
fox-hounds ; for he had not lost his love for hunt- 
ing, and old Lord Fairfax sometimes came from 
Greenway Court to try the woods of Mount Yernon 
with his former pupil. It does not appear from 
Washington's Diary that he was a very successful 
hunter, though so fond of the sport. 

The names of his horses and dogs, like every- 
thing else belonging to him, were written down in 
lists in his own handwriting. He kept his accounts 
with the greatest care; and it must have been no 
small labor, as he had always to separate charges 



AGE CS.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 49 

made for his wards* from his own. Every year, 
the tobacco was shipped from his plantation to Eng- 
land ; and his agent in London, having sold it for 
the best price he could get, sent to him an account 
of the money, with all sorts of articles which the 
Americans then bought in England. Washington's 
letters contain most exact orders for all the wants of 
the family ; — sometimes saddles and bridles ; some- 
times clothes for himself, for Mrs. Wasliington, and 
the young Custises ; or liveries for the servants. 
Every luxury, like a game, a book, or a musical 
instrument, came from England. The necessaries 
of life were usually to be had on the large plan- 
tations, where one slave was a blacksmith, and 
another a carpenter. Some were employed as 
grooms in the stable; others, as servants in the 
house. 

The Potomac River abounded in fish, so that both 
the shore and the Avoods of Mount Vernon supplied 
luxuries for the table. But Washington was never 
fond of good eating. His active habits gave him an 
excellent appetite ; but he kept to his youthful rule 



* Orphans foi' whom a guardian is appointed by a judge. Mas- 
ter and Miss Custis were Washington's wards. 



50 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l770. 

(number fiftj-two), " Make no show of taking great 
delight in your victuals, neither find fault with what 
you eat." He usually rode about his estate every 
pleasant morning ; and work was done under his 
own eye, and therefore well done. The flour sent 
from Mount Vernon for sale in the West Indies 
was always so good, that, when his mark was seen, 
the usual examination of the barrel was omitted. 

"Washington was kind to his negroes, careful of 
their comfort, and especially attentive to the sick ; 
but he never indulged them in laziness. If any 
accident happened, he was immediately on the spot, 
working with his own hands. At one time (17G3) 
he was very actively engaged in a scheme for drain- 
ing the Great Dismal Swamp, and was one of the 
Virginia Board of Commissioners for settling the 
accounts of the French and Indian War. Gov. Din- 
widdle had, in one of his proclamations, promised 
two hundred thousand acres of land to the officers 
and soldiers, to be divided among them according to 
rank. 

Washington interested himself warmly in the 
matter ; wrote a great many letters about it ; and 
finally determined to take a journey to the Ohio 
River, that he mia;ht learn for himself the state of 



AGE 38.] GEORGE AVASHINGTOX. 51 

the country, and the value of the land. He left 
Mount Vernon on the 5th of October, 1770, and 
reached home again on the 1st of December. Dr. 
Craik, a neighbor and companion in arms, who had 
been present at Braddock's defeat, went with him. 
They proceeded to Pittsburg ; went down the Ohio 
in a boat to the mouth of the Great Kanawha ; 
entered it to examine the beautiful lands on both 
sides of it ; and returned in the same way. It was 
rather an adventurous trip, and would naturally 
remind Washington of some of his youthful journeys 
through the wilderness ; but it must have been 
strange to him to travel peacefully to Fort Pitt.* 
He had a great deal of shooting ; for the country 
abounded in buffaloes and deer, as well as swans, 
geese, ducks, and many other wild birds. He also 
had, as in former times, frequent interviews with 
the Indians, who made him long speeches, express- 
ing their affection for the English. At one place he 
met Kiashuta, who had gone with him to the fort on 
French Creek seventeen years before (in 1753). 
Kiashuta remembered him well, and insisted on 



* The town was then a very small one, which had sprung up 
near the fort. 



52 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l773. 

entertaining him in Indian style. At the mouth of 
the Great Kanawha, another old sachem came to 
see him, who told him that he had fired from am- 
bush on the dreadful day of Braddock's defeat, and 
both himself and his young men had often aimed at 
Washington as he rode about delivering the gen- 
eral's orders ; but, as they could not hit him, they 
had concluded that he was under the protection of 
the Great Spirit, and could not be slain in battle. 

The business of the journey was successfully 
accomplished. Washington marked the land se- 
lected for the soldiers, and his own portion. But 
the Indians, who had been hostile a short time 
before, had another outbreak a little after his return ; 
so that a slight delay might have made his visit to 
them a dangerous proceeding. 

In the year 1773, the happiness of the home at 
Mount Vernon was sadly interrupted by the death of 
Miss Custis, Mrs. Washington's only daughter. It 
was a great grief to Washington, not only for her 
mother's sake, but for his own ; and, though he did 
not usually give way to his feelings, " kneeling by 
her bedside, he poured out earnest prayers for her 
recovery." He had also some little difficulties in 
the education of her brother, whom Mrs. Washing- 



AGE 41.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 53 

ton, especially after the death of his sister, was dis- 
posed to indulge rather too much. 

r 
While these years of Washington's life had passed 
so j)eacefully at home, he had taken his share in the 
political interests of Virginia ; and Virginia was 
closely connected with the other Colonies, particu- 
larly with Massachusetts. Between the end of the 
French and Indian war in 1763, and the year 1774, 
a great change gradually took j)lace in the feelings 
of the colonists towards England, — " home," as 
Washington calls it in a letter .written as late as 
1769. The Americans looked upon certain laws, 
passed by Parliament for raising money, as an 
attack upon their liberty. They constantly claimed 
the freedom of English subjects, and would not 
admit that their having come across the water made 
any difference in their rights. The Assemblies of 
the various Colonies sent addresses to the king and 
to Parliament, which were very respectful, and ex- 
pressed great love for the British Constitution, but a 
determination to maintain their rights. These were 
all entirely useless, and were called in England 
rebellious and undutiful. Neither the government 
nor the colonists would yield ; and, as years passed, 



54: GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l774. 

the discontented feeling grew strong. Sometimes 
there were mobs and riots in the cities, not imj)or- 
tant in themselves, but showing the spirit of the peo- 
ple. Washington watched the course of events, and 
often went back to Mount Vernon, from a meeting 
of the House of Burgesses, with an anxious mind. 
He sympathized entirely with the colonists, but saw 
that the British government was bent on putting 
them down, and dreaded the end of such a state of 
things. 

Boston was the place most offensive to the gov- 
ernment, and troops were sent there to keep the 
citizens quiet. Soldiers had not much to do ; for 
the people were usually very orderly in their behav- 
ior. Their excitement showed itself in speeches at 
public meetings, in writings in the newspapers, and 
in addi'esses to the people of the other Colonies ; but 
they were not riotous, and the presence of a garrison 
only made them angry without being of any use. 

Virginia, with her usual high spirit, felt warmly 
every injury to Massachusetts ; and the House of 
Burgesses was twice dismissed by the Governor on 
account of resolutions passed concerning the affairs 
of Massachusetts. As usual, Washington made him- 
self perfectly familiar with all the facts and with all 



AGE 42.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 55 

the papers, and took so important a part in the 
debates among the Burgesses, and at several public 
meetings, that he was chosen a delegate to the first 
American Congress, — a meeting of gentlemen from 
all the Colonies, which took place at Philadelphia in 
September, 1774. His opinions at this time are 
given in a letter to Mr. Bryan Fairfax, a friend of 
his from childhood, who could not, at a public meet- 
ing, agree to oppose himself so decidedly to the 
mother country as his neighbors had done. Here 
follow some extracts from the letter : — " What is it 
we are contending against ? Is it against paying 
the duty of threepence a pound on tea, because bur- 
densome ? No, it is the right only that we have 
all along disputed ; and, to this end, we have already 
petitioned his majesty in as humble and dutiful a 

manner as subjects could do I think the 

Parliament of Great Britain have no more right to 
put their hands into my pocket, wdthout my consent, 
than I have to put mine into yours ; and, this being 
already urged to them, in a firm but decent manner, 
by all the Colonies, what reason is there to expect 

anything from their justice.'^ For my own 

part, I shall not undertake to say where the line 
between Great Britain and her Colonies should be 



56 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l774. 

drawn ; but I am clearly of opinion that one ought 
to be drawn, and our rights clearly ascertained." 

The first business of the first Congress was to 
make a declaration of rights claimed by the Colo- 
nies, and to name the Acts of Parliament by which 
they considered that those rights had been attacked. 
An address was also prepared to the king, another 
to the people of Great Britain, and a third to the 
inhabitants of Canada and the other British Prov- 
inces ; and it was agreed that the colonists should no 
longer buy British goods. All these papers were 
written with so much power, that Lord Chatham, 
the most distinguished English statesman then liv- 
ing, spoke of them as masterpieces. 

It is not possible now to find out what share 
Washington had in the resolutions of this first Con- 
gress ; but as many of them are extremely like those 
passed at a meeting in Fairfax County, Virginia, 
where he presided, it is at least fair to suppose that 
he had considerable influence in writing them. 

This Congress was made up of distinguished men 
from the various Colonies, who had heard of each 
other, but had never met before ; and it is said that 
they hesitated a little in beginning their business, 
partly from awe of each other, and partly from 



AGE 42.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 57 

knowing that they were acting for a nation, and 
that most solemn consequences might follow from 
their measures. Each man's powders were soon 
found out. Some were brilliant speakers, wdio 
could rouse the enthusiasm of all the others ; some 
were skilful writers ; some were learned lawyers, 
familiar wdth the British Constitution ; and some 
were workers, who wasted neither time nor words, 
but did what was needful. 

After his return home from this Congress, Mr. 
Patrick Henry, a distinguished orator of Virginia, 
was asked by one of his neighbors, "wdioni he 
thought the greatest man in Congress." He re- 
plied, "If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge, 
of South Carolina, is by far the greatest orator; 
but if you speak of solid information and sound 
judgment. Col. Washington is unquestionably the 
greatest man on that floor." It is evident from 
Washington's Diary that his company w^as much 
sought by the Philadelphians and by other mem- 
bers of Congress. He always valued highly the 
wisdom wdiich is to be gained by knowing a vari- 
ety of characters, and now associated freely with 
gentlemen from distant parts of the country. At 
Mount Vernon, too, his hospitality was always open 



58 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l774. 

to a stranger; and for many years his reputation had 
naturally drawn there persons well worth knowing. 

During this year (1774) more troops were landed 
in Boston, and the people were still more indignant 
against the government. They looked forward to 
dark days. The military spirit of the Colony Avas 
aroused, and volunteer companies armed and drilled 
themselves. Still, though expecting to fight, the 
Americans did not think they should be sepjiratcd 
from the mother country. In a letter written by 
Washington at Philadelphia, on the 9th of October, 
to a British officer then on duty in Boston, he says : 
*' Although you are taught to believe that the peo- 
ple of Massachusetts are rebellious, — setting up for 
independency and what not, — give me leave, my 
good friend, to tell you that you are abused, grossly 

abused Give me leave to add, — and I 

think I can announce it as a fact, — that it is not 
the wish or interest of that government, or of any 
other upon this continent, separately or collectively, 
to set up for independence ; but this you may at the 
same time rely on, that none of them will ever sub- 
mit to the loss of those valuable rights and iDri\i- 
leges which are essential to the happiness of every 
free State, and without which life, liberty, and prop- 
erty are rendered totally insecure." 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 59 

After his return to Mount Vernon from this Con- 
gress, CoL AYashington's instruction and advice were 
frequently asked by the independent companies of 
Virginia. He often left home to review those raised 
in distant parts of the Province, and accepted the 
command of one at Richmond. In a note, dated 
March 25, to his brother, who had offered him an- 
other, he says that he shall very cheerfully accept 
the honor of commanding it, "if occasion require 
it to be drawn out, as it is my full intention to 
devote my life and fortune to the cause we are 
engaged in, if needful." 

In March, 1775, Washington was present at the 
second Virginia Convention, where the means 'of 
defending the Colony were discussed, and plans ar- 
ranged for collecting money and drilling men. 
Washington conducted the business with his usual 
energy, and his opinion on such subjects was law to 
the other delegates. 

The second Congress met on the 10th of May, 
1775. Blood had already been shed in the contest 
between Great Britain and her Colonies. On the 
19th of April, Gen. Gage had sent soldiers from 
Boston to Concord, Mass., to seize upon some mili- 
tary stores. The country people flew to arms ; the 



60 geohgp: AVASIIIXGTOX. [I775. 

militia companies pursued the king's troops back to 
Boston at a rapid pace and with a brisk fire ; and 
it Avas necessary to send out a second party to sup- 
port tlie first. The soldiers found that the " rebels " 
were a foe not to be despised. 

From that day, an army began to be formed 
about Boston. Officers of tlie French and Indian 
war brushed up their military learning, and came 
forward to take command. Brave bush-fighters hur- 
ried to Boston from the other Colonies. The sailor 
from Marblehead and the ploughman from Berk- 
shire w^ere equally ready to fight and to die for 
their liberty. The idea of the people was to shut 
up the troops in the town of Boston, and finally 
to drive them to the ships. It seemed as if the 
country could no longer endure their presence. 

A second "humble and dutiful" address to the 
king was proposed m Congress, but could not be 
agreed to : though many people, Washington among 
the number, still thought a reconciliation possible. 
The members proceeded to their real business, — 
to arrange a union among the Colonies of Ne^v 
Hampshire,* Massachusetts,! Rhode Island, Con- 

♦ Which then inchided Vermont, 
t Which then included Iilaine. 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 61 

necticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and 
South Carolina. Georgia soon afterwards joined 
them. Each Colony was to govern itself, and Con- 
gress took charge of those matters which concerned 
the whole. They immediately ordered troops to be 
enlisted, forts to be built, and arms and powder to 
be provided. Washington was chairman of the 
Committee on Military Affairs. You can see in all 
these meetings what a workhig man he was. Some- 
thing important always fell to his lot. 

The next question was, what should be done with 
the army about Boston. It was collected : would it 
not break up, if Congress did not take charge of it ? 
And, if it were broken up, what was there to restrain 
the British troops ? It was agreed to maintain the 
army. Then who should command it? Gen. Ar- 
temas Ward, a Massachusetts man, who had served 
in the last war, had been appointed by the Mas- 
sachusetts Provincial Congress. Gen. Charles Lee 
was then in Philadelphia; and, though he was an 
Englishman, he had for years been bitter against 
the government, and was known to be now ready 
to serve in the American army. He had seen a 
great deal of war in many countries, and his repu- 



62 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

tation was exaggerated on this side of the water. 
However, it was thought improper to give the com- 
mand to any person of foreign birth ; and the South- 
ern delegates could not reconcile themselves to the 
idea of putting Gen. Ward, a New-England man, 
at the head of a New-England army. Finally, Mr. 
John Adams, of Massachusetts, proposed " a gentle- 
man from Virginia who is among us, and very well 
known to all of us." As soon as Washington per- 
ceived that these remarks applied to him, he, " from 
his usual modesty," left his seat. 

On the 16th of June, the President of Congress 
announced to him that he was chosen Commander- 
in-chief. Washington rose and expressed '*' his high 
and grateful sense of the honor conferred upon him, 
and his devotion to the cause. But," added he, 
"lest some unlucky event should happen unfavor- 
able to my reputation, I beg it may be remembered 
by every gentleman in the room, that I this day 
declare, with the utmost sincerity, I do not think 
myself equal to the command I am honored with." 
A salary had been proposed for him; but he re- 
fused it, and said that the country should pay only 
his expenses, of which he would keep an account. 

At this time, so important in his life, Washing- 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 63 

ton's thoughts turned to Mount Yernon. He wrote 
to his wife : " My dearest, I am now set down to 
write to you on a subject which fills me with inex- 
pressible concern, and this concern is greatly aggra- 
vated and increased when I reflect upon the uneasi- 
ness I know it will give you. It has been deter- 
mined in Congress that the whole army raised for 
the defence of the American cause shall be put 
under my care, and that it is necessary for me to 
proceed immediately to Boston to take upon me the 
command of it. You may believe me, my dear 
Patsy, when I assure you, in the most solemn man- 
ner, that, so far from seeking this appointment, I 
have used every effort in my power to avoid it, not 
only from my unwillingness to part with you and 
the family, but from a consciousness of its being a 
trust too great for my capacity ; and I should enjoy 
more real happiness in one month with you, at 
home, than I have the most distant prospect of find- 
ing abroad, if my stay were to be seven times seven 

years I shall feel no pain from the toil 

or danger of the campaign; my unhappiness will 
flow from the uneasiness I know you will feel from 

being left alone My earnest and ardent 

desire is, that you would pursue any plan that is 



64 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

most likely to iDroduce content, and a tolerable de- 
gree of tranquillity." * 

Gen. Washington left Philadelphia, on horseback, 
the 21st of June, accompanied by Gen. Lee and 
Gen. Schuyler. Gen. Sdmyler was one of the 
bravest soldiers of the Revolution, and a firm friend 
of the Commander-in-chief They had scarcely gone 
twenty miles from Philadelphia when they met a 
horseman, bearing to Congress, at full speed, the 
news of the battle of Bunker's Hill, the first battle 
of the Revolution. The British had finally gained 
possession of the hill; but their victory had been 
dearly bought. " Washington eagerly asked partic- 
ulars : above all, how acted the militia ? AVhen 
told that they stood their ground bravely ; sustained 
the enemy's fire ; reserved their own until at close 
quarters,! and then delivered it with deadly effect, — 
it seemed as if a weight of doubt and solicitude 



* This is the only letter from Washington to his wife that can 
now be found. It is believed that I\Irs. Washington burnt all the 
others. 

t When men are fighting very near each other, the battle is 
said to be at close quarters. Col. Prescott told the men on Bun- 
ker's Hill not to fire until they could see the whites of the eyes 
of the British soldiers. 



AGE 43.] GEOKGi: WASHINGTOX. 65 

were lifted from liis heart. 'The hberties of the 
coiintiy are safe ! ' exchiimecl he." 

All through the journey, he was consulting with 
the two generals ; for he was extremely modest and 
doubtful of his own powers, and had great respect 
for Lee's military talents ; while Schuyler could 
give most useful information about the important 
Province of New York, — a difficult one to manage. 

The party Avas escorted from place to place by 
volunteer companies ; and, in the cities and towns, 
all honors Avere paid to the new Commander-in-chief. 
Every one Avas anxious to see him, and his bearing 
Avas Avorthy of the dignity of his cause and his char- 
acter. He Avas at this time forty-three years old ; 
tall, erect, military in his air, Avith a grave, noble 
face, that made all respect him. 

At Springfield, Mass., some members of the Pro- 
A'incial Congress met him, and provided escorts and 
rooms for him all along the road. At WatertoAvn, 
the Congress gave him an address of congratulation, 
in Avhich they admitted that the army he had come 
to command Avas \'ery undisciplined. As he reached 
the camp at Cambridge, the salute of artillery, and 
the shouts of the croAvd collected to see him, gave 
notice of his arrival to the enemy in Boston. A 
5 



66 geokg:-: avasiiington. [l775. 

person who saw him writes : " I have been much 
gratified this day with a view of Gen. Washington. 
His Excellency was on horseback, in company with 
several military gentlemen. It was not difficult to 
distinguish him from all others. He is tall and well- 
proportioned, and his personal appearance is truly 
noble and majestic." 

The next day (the 3d of July) the army was 
drawn up on Cambridge Common ; and Washington 
rode down from head-quarters,* accompanied by sev- 
eral officers, drew his sword under the great elm,t 
and took formal command. He then, with Gen. 
Lee, rode to all the fortified places and heights, that 
he might make himself acquainted with the country 
about Boston. 

The army was spread over a distance of nearly 
twelve miles, from Mystic River to Dorchester. 
Some fortifications had been made on Roxbury 
Neck, then the only road from the little city to 
the country ; and on Prospect Hill, in what is now 
the town of Somerville, where Gen. Israel Putnam 
had command. 

* Now Mr. Longfellow's house. 

t Still standing, at the corner of Garden and Mason Streets, 
near the Common. 



AGE 43.] GEORGE AVASHINGTOX. 67 

This old soldier, practised in Indian warfare, was 
a good specimen of the Yankee patriot. Ilis home 
was in Connecticut. One day in April, when lie 
was ploughing, a man on horseback passed along, 
proclaiming the news of the battle of Lexington. 
Putnam took the horse out of the plough, mounted, 
and rode full speed to Boston. And he was always 
so decided, prompt, and fearless. He was rather apt 
to be fond of his own inventions, and was certainly 
an old man for a general ; but his influence in the 
army was very valuable. The younger officers be- 
came fond of liiin, and used to call him " old Put." 

Gen. Washington was disappointed in the size of 
the army. He had expected to find twenty thou- 
sand men : there were really about fourteen thou- 
sand. They were quite undisciplined. Each man 
had left his home to fight for freedom, and had not 
the least idea that the best way to begin was to 
obey his superior officer, who was very likely to be 
a country neighbor, without any military dignity. 
Tents were wanting ; clothes, guns, money ; and, 
above all, the proper officers to furnish and dis- 
tribute these necessaries, had never been even 
thought of. 

One encampment pleased Gen. Washington very 



68 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

much : it was from Rhode Island, and compared 
\Yell Avith the British posts for neatness, drill, and 
obedience. Gen. Nathanael Greene had disciplined 
and brought to camp this body of men, who did him 
great credit. Greene, as a boy, had been an anchor- 
smith with his father ; but his mind was an ex- 
tremely bright one, and he had studied a great deal 
by himself. Of late, he had been absorbed in mil- 
itary matters, and learnt everything he possibly 
could from observation of the British and from 
books. He immediately gained the confidence of 
the Commander-in-chief He was wise, brave, cheer- 
ful under difficulties, a true patriot, a faithful friend, 
and helped Washington greatly at this time by his 
knowledge of the New-England character. 

After this examination of the camp. Gen. Wash- 
ington's first act was to write to Congress stating the 
many wants of the army. The troops from Massa- 
chusetts were the most destitute of ail, and he at- 
tributes this to "the yoke having been laid so 
heavily on it. The deficiency of numbers, disci- 
pline, and stores can only lead to this conclusion, 
that their spirit has exceeded their strength.'" Some 
persons in WashingLon's place would have blamed 
the Massachusetts people, who had been mo:>t for- 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTOX. 69 

ward in the excitement before the war ; but Wa.-=h- 
iiigfon, as Commander-in-chief of the united force.-, 
ah-eady cared for all the Colonies alike. 

His next object was to introduce discipline into 
the camp. General orders were read to the men 
every day. In these, the Commander-in-chief 
dwelt on the sacredness of the cause in which the 
army was fighting ; on the importance of the sol- 
diers' good behavior, both in the camp and on the 
field of battle ; and on tlie duty of immediate obe- 
dience to the officers. He gave many directions 
about little every-day matters ; but his great desire 
was to inspire both officers and men with the true 
spirit of a soldier. Gen. Lee's ideas of discipline 
were very strict, and he probably suggested many 
of the rules established at this time. 

The works for defence already built were strength- 
ened, and new ones begun. In this labor, Gen. 
Putnam's men were so active that Washinoton one 

o 

day said to him, " You seem. General, to have the 
power of infusing your own spirit into all the work- 
men you employ." 

Three grand divisions of the army were made. 
The right wing was stationed at Roxbury, the left 
on Prospect and Winter Hills, and the centre at 



70 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

Cambridge. Saddled horses were kept at various 
points in the hne, ready to carry news if the en- 
emy made any movement ; and men Avere stationed 
in the Httle villages along the coast to prevent 
landing from boats. You must bear in mind, that, 
when Boston was thus besieged by the Continental * 
troops, it was almost an island ; there was no bridge 
anywhere connecting it with the country; and the 
narrow strip of land that leads to Eoxbury was the 
only road by which soldiers could march in or out. 
Boats were frequently used, of course ; and in time 
of peace there was a regular ferry to Charlestown. 

In the course of the summer, some rifle compa- 
nies arrived from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ma- 
ryland. Such soldiers had never been seen in New 
England, and their shooting was much admired. It 
is said, that, " while advancing at a quick step, they 
could hit a mark seven inches in diameter at the 
distance of seven hundred and fifty feet." They 
Avere tall, strong men, — such " bush-fighters " as 
Washington had commanded in former days. 

At this time, some of the towns on the coast Avere 
threatened by the British ships ; and the inhab- 
itants, and the governors of Colonies, sent to Gen. 

* This was the name given to the American army. 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 71 

lYiisliington for assistance in defending tliem. Af- 
ter consulting with his officers, the Commander-in- 
chief refused to divide the army. He had not men 
enough with him ; and, if he should send detach- 
ments to every place on the coast that might be in 
distress, he would never be able either to attack the 
British, or to guard his own lines * in case they 
should come out. 

Cases as hard as this were constantly occurring 
through the Hevolutionary war. People in distress 
appealed to Washington, for they had no king or 
president to look to, and he never had the means 
to grant what they desired. Those who suffered 
while they knew that some thousands of their coun- 
trymen were in camp, probably thought the Gen- 
eral's decision very severe ; but he had to think for 
the ivliole, while others saw only their own part. 
In the end, his wisdom was acknowledged. The 
work of the army was to finish the war, and that 
could be done only by keeping together. The places 
on the coast were defended by militia, or in what- 
ever %vay each Colony thought fit. 

* Lines are the intrenchments connecting one strong i)lace Avitli 
another- The army Avas spread out behind them to guard the 
country. 



72 GEOKGK WASHINGTON. [lT75. 

Gen. Washington had diligently strengthened his 
position, and ^vould have been glad to attempt more 
active measures, when the fact was discovered that 
there was a scarcity of powder in the camp. In 
the account of stores furnished to the Command- 
er-in-chief on his arrival, three hundred barrels 
of powder had been put down. On the 1st of 
August there were but thirty-two! Yfashington 
instantly wrote to Congress and to the governors of 
Colonies; and sent expresses to bring any quantity 
of poAvder, even the smallest, immediately to camp. 
The danger was frightful. If the enemy had at- 
tacked them, the army could not possibly have 
fought. It is now thought, that, by means of de- 
serters and Tories,* the British generals must have 
been informed of this state of things, but that, see- 
ing the Americans lieep their position, they could 
not believe it. At the end of a fortnight, a small 
supply was received ; but still the Americans were 
obliged to receive, without answering, an occasional 
fn'ing from the enemy's cannon. 

At this time a correspondence took place between 
Gen. Gage, the Commander-in-chief at Boston, and 

* People ■who took sides with England. 



AGE 43.] GKORGK AVASIIINGTOX. 73 

Gen. Washington, concerning the treatment of pris- 
oners. 

It was not the first time they had written to each 
other. This Gen. Gage was the Coh Gage who in 
1755 led the advanced troops at Braddock's defeat. 
Since that time, their positions were as much 
changed as their opinions ; and Washington was 
quite resolved to claim an equal rank, and not to 
be regarded as a rebel. He wrote to say, that 
there were great complaints of the treatment of 
American prisoners by the British, and that he 
might be obhged to retaliate. This is common in all 
wars, and is meant to prevent cruelty. It is thought 
that generals will be careful of their prisoners, lest 
any injury inflicted on them should be avenged on 
their own men in the hands of the enemy. 

Gen. Gage, in his answer, denied the charge of 
cruelty to the prisoners, " v/hose lives," he says, " by 
the law of the land, are destined to the cord " ; thus 
showing that he considered them only rebels and 
traitors. But he admitted that he had made no dif- 
ference between otHcers and private soldiers ; " for," 
says he, " I acknowledge no rank that is not derived 
from the king." These and other expressions might 
well have roused Gen. Washington's anger ; but his 



74 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

answer was dignified and firm. In one passage he 
says : " You affect, sir, to despise all rank not 
derived from the same source with your own. I 
cannot conceive one more honorable than that which 
flows from the uncorrupted choice of a brave and 
free people, — the purest source, and original foun- 
tain of all power." At the end of the letter are 
these words : " I shall now, sir, close my correspond- 
ence with you, perhaps for ever. If your officers, 
our prisoners, receive a treatment from me different 
from that which I wished to show them, they and 
you will remember the cause of it." In fact, AYash- 
ington did order a number of British officers, his 
prisoners, to be confined in jail, explaining to them 
the reason ; but the order was afterwards recalled, 
and the prisoners usually received the greatest 
kindness possible. 

In July of this year. Congress determined to take 
possession of a fort at Ticonderoga, on Lake Cham- 
plain, which had been captured by some irregular 
troops from New England under Ethan Allen and 
Benedict Arnold. Gen. Schuyler was therefore 
ordered to go from New York to Lake Chamj^lain, 
and with the troops he found there, and others 
that he might collect, to make an attack upon Mon- 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 75 

treal. Washington formed the plan of sending a 
body of troops into Canada, by way of the Kennebec 
River, to seize upon Quebec, and join the expedition 
under Schuyler. There were not then a great many 
soldiers in Canada, and it was understood that the 
peojole Avere disposed to sympathize with the Ameri- 
cans. The plan was a somewhat difficult one to 
carry out ; but Gen. Washington thought he had an 
officer well fitted for the command in Benedict 
Arnold, who had distinguished himself in the service 
of Massachusetts. 

The troops started from Cambridge ; and, for 
nearly a year, Washington watclied their fortunes 
with anxiety, sympathy, and hope. They had to 
bear many hardships, and showed the greatest cour- 
age. Col. Arnold, by his energy, perseverance, and 
daring, surpassed even Washington's expectations. 
He had some great successes ; but sickness, deser- 
tion, and loss in battle wasted away his troops, both 
before and after he joined the other party. 

Gen. Schuyler was taken ill, and was succeeded 
by Gen. Montgomery, who was killed in an attack 
on Quebec ; Gen. Thomas died of small-pox ; and 
disasters followed so closely on every triumph, that, 
finally, only a broken remnant of the American 



76 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

force came out of Canada. The commanders of this 
expedition wrote, of course, constantly to Gen. 
Washingtpn, so that all their troubles weighed upon 
his mind in addition to his own. On the other hand, 
their successes sometimes cheered him when all 
looked very dark at Cambridge. He often consoled 
Gen. Schuyler from his own experience. On the 
28th of July, he wrote to him : " It would be far 
beyond the compass of a letter for me to describe 
the situation of things here on my arrival. Confu- 
sion and discord reigned in every department ; 
which, in a little time, must have ended either in the 
separation of the army, or fatal contests with one 

another We mend every day ; and I flatter 

myself, that, in a little time, we shall work up these 
raw materials into a good manufacture. I must 
recommend to you what I endeavor to practise 
myself, — patience and perseverance." Schuyler 
answered : " Yes, my general, I will strive to copy 
your bright exainple, and patiently and steadily per- 
severe in that line which only can promise the 
wished-for reformation." 

Gen. Washington became very desirous of doing 
something active at Boston. His small stock of 
powder prevented the use of cannon, which the 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 77 

British were well supplied with ; but he proposed to 
his officers an attack on the town, the troops to be 
carried over in boats. In a letter written at this 
time, he says : " Unless the ministerial * troops in 
Boston are waiting for reinforcements, I cannot de- 
vise what they are staying there for ; nor wliy, as 
they affect to despise the Americans, they do not 
come forth, and put an end to the contest at once." 
There were no less than four English generals 
in Boston. Gen. Gage, the chief, who had been 
Governor of Massachusetts, but who was recalled 
tlie next month ; Gen. Howe, a very popular com- 
mander ; Sir Henry Clinton ; and Gen. Burgoyne, 
who had distinguished himself in Portugal. The 
officers amused themselves as well as they could in 
the little besieged city ; but, for want of fresh pro- 
^dsions, the distress was beginning to be great. The 
officers of the Continental army were all of opinion 
that an attack on Boston at that time (September) 
was unwise ; and the Commander-in-chief gave up 
the idea, though inaction Avas exceedingly disa- 
greeable to him. 

* This word was used because people did not like to admit 
that they were the Mng's troops. They blamed the ministers of 
England for all the difficulties. 



78 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

In October of this year, great indignation was 
roused throughout New England by the burning of 
Fahnouth (now Portland), in Maine. British ships 
appeared in the harbor suddenly, and the inhabit- 
ants had only one night to remove themselves and 
property. They then refused the conditions on 
which the British lieutenant offered to spare the 
town, and saw it burnt to ashes. Such a fate was 
dreaded for all the seaport towns ; but, happily, 
most of them escaped. Washington was very in- 
dignant at such cruelty, and heartily pitied the suf- 
ferings of the people, who lost almost their all in a 
single day. Gen. Greene, expressing in a letter the 
vehement feelings which such an act excites against 
those who order it, says : " People begin heartily to 
wish a declaration of independence." 

In October, a committee from Congress came to 
camp to arrange matters in relation to a new army. 
Most of the soldiers had enlisted * only until De- 
cember ; and it would then be necessary to collect 
another force, as there was little prospect of any 
change on the part of the British. It was much 
easier for Gen. Washington to talk with a few gen- 

* To enlist is to engage to serve in an army as a common 
soldier. 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 79 

tlemen in camp, than to write all his arrangements 
and intentions to the President of Congress. An- 
other attack on Boston was proposed, as it was 
hinted that Congress desired it ; but the generals 
still thought it imprudent. 

After the committee went back, "Washington's 
private secretary, Mr. Joseph Reed, returned to 
Philadelphia. This was a great loss to the Gren- 
eral, as Mr. Reed's assistance in his enoniious cor- 
respondence was very valuable, and a warm friend- 
ship had been formed between them. 

Congress now voted that an army of twenty-two 
thousand two hundred and seventy-two men and 
officers should be raised for one year; but it was 
one thing to vote, and quite another actually to col^ 
lect the men. The troops already in service — who, 
it was hoped, would cheerfully enlist again — dread- 
ed the hardships of the coming winter, and made 
many conditions as to the officei-s they would serve 
under. The men of each Colony wanted officers 
from the same. 

The officers, too, were very slow in coming for- 
ward. The first enthusiasm was over. Men saw 
what war really was, and began to think of conse- 
quences, of the support of their families, and of 



80 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

their own condition when the war should be over. 
The New-England people, too, were accustomed to 
trade, and the soldier's " sentiment of honor " was 
not a common motive among them. For all these 
reasons, it was natural enough that enlistment 
should go on slowly; but the fact Avas a very dis- 
couraging one to Gen. Washington. In a letter to 
Mr. Reed, he says : " What will be the end of 
these mancEuvres is beyond my scan. I tremble 
at the prospect. We have been till this time (Nov. 
28) enlisting about tliree thousand five hundred 

men Could I have foreseen what I have 

experienced, and am likely to experience, no con- 
sideration upon earth should have induced me to 
accept this command." 

On the 1st of December, the Connecticut troops 
left the camp, in spite of an agreement to stay till 
the 10th ; when the militia were ordered to take 
their places. Their conduct was known ; and, when 
they arrived at home, they were so treated, especially 
by the women, that many of them were soon disposed 
to return to camp, with all its hardships. 

The day after their departure, a more cheering 
event happened. A large quantity of cannon, mus- 
kets, and shot was brought to camp from a small 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 81 

vessel fitted out under Washington's orders. At 
this time, he had not only the affairs of the army to 
control, but the management of several little vessels, 
which were prepared to annoy the British ships, and 
to defend the seaports. 

Gen. Putnam was engaged in his favorite work of 
fortifying. He had christened the largest gun of the 
late capture the " Congress," and was impatient to 
get powder that he might use it. One of the officers, 
writing of the unusual mildness of the winter, says : 
*' Everything thaws here, except ' old Put.' He is 
still as hard as ever, crying out for powder, powder, 
powder ! Ye gods, give us powder ! " 

In December, Mrs. Washington arrived at camp. 
When Gen. Washington first took command, he had 
supposed that he could at least visit Mount Vernon 
in the autumn ; but, as this was out of the question, 
his wife came to him. The estate was managed by 
Mr. Lund Washington, an agent, and probably a 
very distant relation, with whom the General always 
kept up a constant correspondence. At this time, he 
gave him the following directions about Mount Ver- 
non : " Let the hospitality of the house, M'ith respect 
to the poor, be kept up. Let no one go hungry away. 
If any of this kind of people should be in want of 
6 



82 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. [l775. 

corn, supply their necessities, proyicled it does not 
encourage them to idleness ; and I have no objec- 
tion to your giving my money in charity, to the 
amount of forty or fifty pounds a year, when you 
think it well bestowed. What I mean by having 
no objection is, that it is my desire it should be 
done. You are to consider that neither my wife nor 
myself is now in the way to do those good offices. 
In other respects, I recommend it to you, and have 
no doubt of your observing the greatest economy 
and frugaUty ; as I suj)pose you know that I do not 
get a farthing for my services here more than my 
expenses. It becomes necessary, therefore, for me 
to be saving at home." 

Mrs. Washington was able to assist the General 
very much about home-matters in camp. Invitations 
to dine at his table were highly valued by members 
of the Massachusetts General Court, and other gen- 
tlemen of distinction, as well as by the officers. He 
had intended to invite a certain number every day ; 
but, being so constantly occupied with many cares 
and anxieties, all such small things were of necessity 
left to his aids. He himself, during the summer, 
would sometimes dine on baked apples or berries, 
with cream or milk, and quit the table, leaving an 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 83 

officer in his place. Mr. Reed understood all such 
arrangements ; but, after he was gone, the aids had 
not managed so well, and some persons had been 
offended by what they considered neglect. Gen. 
Washington, on being told of this, said that he Avas 
very sorry, but that it was "owing to inattention, 
or, more properly, too much attention to other 
matters." 

Mrs. Washington's graceful and dignified manners 
made the little society much pleasanter than it had 
been before ; but the General was too thoughtful to 
have a gay house. With some difficulty, Mrs. Wash- 
ington prevailed upon him to allow her to celebrate 
Twelfth Night, the anniversary of their wedding. 

They had always morning and evening prayers at 
head-quarters, and Gen. Washington went regularly 
to the Episcopal church. 

There is one story told of him in Cambridge, 
which shows his presence of mind, and power of 
commanding other people. A party of Virginia 
riflemen, just arrived, were one day strolhng about 
the College buildings, which were turned into bar- 
racks ; * and they got into a half-joking quarrel with 

* Houses built for and occupied by soldiers and their, families. 



84 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l775. 

some Marblehead fishermen. They began to dis- 
pute about their dress ; for the Virginians wore 
hunting-shirts, and the sailors round jackets. From 
words they came to throwing snowballs, and from 
snowballs to blows. There was a tumult in the 
camp, when suddenly " Washington appeared. None 
of his aids were with him ; but his black servant 
was just behind him, mounted. He threw the bridle 
of his own horse into his servant's hands, sj^rang 
from his seat, rushed into the thickest of the meIee,-\ 
seized two tall, brawny riflemen by the throat, keep- 
ing them at arms' length, talking to and shaking 
them. The men dispersed in every direction ; and, 
in less than three minutes, all had left the ground, 
except the two he had collared." 

If there was one thing which particularly roused 
Washington's indignation, it was a dispute between 
men from different Colonies. It was the desire 
of his soul that all the soldiers should be Amer- 
icans, united in their end, and in the means they 
used to gain it. 

December was a time of hard trial to Washing- 
ton. The army seemed melting away ; troop after 

* A tumult ; an excited crowd. 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 85 

troop went home. It was not strange : they had 
suffered much, and thought it Avas time other men 
shoukl take their turn. Mihtia generally came in to 
fill the empty places ; but they were troublesome, 
and not to be depended on. Gen. Greene was very 
cheerful through all these difficulties, and always 
assured the Commander-in-chief that the army 
would be filled up. 

On the 4tli of January, 1776, Gen. "Washington 
wrote to his friend Reed : " Search the volumes of 
history through, and I much question whether a case 
similar to ours is to be found ; namely, to maintain a 
post against the power of the British troops for six 
months together, without powder, and then to have 
one army disbanded and another to be raised within 
the same distance (musket-shot) of a reinforced 
enemy. I wish this month were well over our 

heads How it will end, God in his great 

goodness will direct. I am thankful for his protec- 
tion to this time." And again : " The reflection on 
my situation and that of this army produces me 
many an unhappy hour when all around me are 

wrapped in sleep I have often thought 

how much happier I should have been, if, instead 
of accepting the command under such circumstances, 



86 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

I had taken my musket on my shoulder, and entered 
the ranks." 

In the month of January, 1776, there was a great 
stir in Boston Harbor. Vessels jDut to sea, and 
Gen. Washington thought they were bound for New 
York. That city was very important, on account of 
its size, and its connection with Canada by way of 
the Hudson River and Lake Champlain. Gen. Lee 
was therefore despatched to raise troops in Con- 
necticut, and to fortify New York and the posts on 
the river. He was also to seize on some of the 
principal Tories in the city : but, in any business 
of that sort, Washington was obliged to give him 
most precise directions ; for Lee was altogether the 
soldier in his ideas, and had no respect for law or 
Congress, or the feelings of men of peace. In this 
he was quite unlike Gen. Washington, who was 
careful to obey the laws of the land, and sincerely 
pitied the distresses of those who were not soldiers, 
though living in a time of war. 

January dragged on wearily before Boston. A 
little firing was sometimes exchanged ; and, one 
night, a small party of Continentals made a success- 
ful attack 'on a guard-house at Charlestown while 
most of the British officers were at the theatre, 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 87 

seeing a piece called "The Blockade of Boston." 
The play was meant for a quiz on the Americans ; 
but perhaps they had the best of the joke. 

Gen. Washington, besides feeling impatient him- 
self for an attack on Boston, was worried by the 
general expectation that something would be done. 
He wrote to Mr. Reed on the 10th of February: "I 
know the unhappy predicament I stand in ; I know 
that much is expected of me ; I know, that, without 
men, without arms, without ammunition,* without 
anything fit for the accommodation of a soldier, little 
is to be done ; and, what is mortifying, I know that I 
cannot stand justified to the world without exposing 
my own weakness, and injuring the cause, by declar- 
ing my wants ; which / am determined not to do, 
further than unavoidable necessity brings every man 
acquainted with them In short, my situa- 
tion has been such, that I have been obliged to use 
art to conceal it from my own officers." 

Do you see how he sacrificed his own reputation 
to " the cause " ? He let people think him a poor 
officer, or over-cautious, or anything else they 
pleased, rather than injure his country by telling his 

* Powder and shot, and all sorts of guns and cannon. 



88 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

real condition. Do not jou think he must have 
wanted to distinguish himself by some great action, 
— that he would like to have shown those British 
officers in Boston that he had the same energy now 
as on the day of the Monongahela ? But he would 
not waste the lives of his men in an unsuccessful 
attempt ; and again he yielded his own judgment to 
that of his officers, who, for the third time, pro- 
nounced an attack too unsafe. " Greater is he that 
ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city." 

At last, powder arrived at camp, brought by Col. 
Knox from Ticonderoga, in the depth of winter, over 
snow and ice. Knox was a bookseller in Boston ; 
but he took great interest in military matters, was an 
ardent patriot, and soon became a distinguished artil- 
lery-officer. This exploit of his gratified Gen. Wash- 
ington extremely, and showed him another brave, 
efficient man on whom he could rely. 

On the 4th of March, a party of Americans got 
possession of Dorchester Heights * while the British 
were occupied with a cannonade on the north side 
of the city. They marched during the night, and 
immediately began to fortify. The next morning, 

* Now a part of South Boston. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 89 

•when Gen. Howe saw them, he exclaimed, "The 
rebels have done more work in one night than my 
army would have done in one month ! " He was a 
little i^iizzled as to what he should do. He could 
not remain in the town with " the rebels " firing on 
him from the north and the south too; but he was 
by no means ready to leave Boston, as he had been 
writing home that he "hoped they would attack 
him." He decided that he must dislodge them from 
Dorchester Heights by an assault at night. The 
Americans were ready for him. Gen. Washington 
had been on the Heights all night. As he rode 
about, speaking to the men, they answered him 
with shouts. A great battle was expected ; and, 
when the British had marched out on the south 
side of the town, Gen. Putnam was prepared to 
descend upon the north end. 

In the evening, as the British began to move, a 
violent storm came on, which lasted all the next 
day. At the end of that time, the Americans had 
made their works so strong, that Gen. Plowe thought 
it unwise to attack them. Their guns put the ships 
in the harbor in great danger ; and, in a council of 
officers, it was decided that the British army must 
leave the place as soon as possible. 



90 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. [l776. 

On the niglit of the 9 th, another cannonade dis- 
tressed the people of Boston. In the course of it, 
Gen. Putnam's gun, the " Congress," burst. 

The preparations for departure were greatly hur- 
ried, and Boston became a scene of terrible confu- 
sion. Some things were destroyed to prevent their 
felling into the hands of the Americans. "The 
medicines, surgeon's chest, instruments, and necessa- 
ries were left in the hospital." Many Tories were 
eager to escape from their countrymen ; and, at last, 
seventy-eight vessels carried off eleven or twelve 
thousand persons. 

During this disturbance, the Americans looked 
down in silence from Dorchester Heights. Some 
of Putnam's troops joyfully took possession of Bun- 
ker's Hill the very morning that the British sailed, 
and the General entered the city the same day. 

The next day (the 18th of March), the Com- 
mander-in-chief was gladly welcomed by the Bos- 
tonians ; but he found the city in a sad state of 
disorder. Between the cannonade and the flight, 
it looked half ruined. The small-pox still prevailed 
in parts of the town, and the main body of the army 
did not enter it until the 20tli. 

The siege was over; Washington had won the 



AGE 44.] GEOIIGE WASHINGTON. 91 

applause of the whole country for his wisdom and 
perseverance, and for the skill "by which, in the 
course of a few months, an undisciplined band of 
husbandmen became soldiers." Mr. John Adams 
proposed a vote of thanks to him from Congress : 
and a gold medal was ordered, having on one side 
a head of Washington ; and, on the other, a view of 
Boston. The inscription tells what he did for the 
city. 

Washington now supposed that the British fleet 
had sailed for New York. He therefore sent on 
his troops as fast as possible, and followed them 
himself on the loth of April. It was but exchang- 
ing one scene of anxiety for another. New York 
was the largest city in the country. Many military 
stores were collected there, and it was very desir- 
able to guard the Hudson River. Gen. Lee had 
begun to protect the city, and Gen. Putnam had 
continued the work. Washington urged it on with 
great vigor ; for he felt that the enemy's ships might 
appear in the harbor at any moment, and he de- 
pended greatly on fortifications. His army was 
only eight thousand strong ; and the men fit for duty 
were new recruits,* and destitute of arms. 

* * Men who have just joined an army. 



92 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

This was also the darkest time of the Canada ex- 
pedition ; and, while Washington was hardly pressed 
to maintain his own gi'ound, Congress frequently 
suggested his sending more men to the aid of the 
generals at the North. He despatched ten regi- 
ments. 

The greatest difficulty of all was, news came from 
Canada very slowly; and it was very difficult to 
learn anything from England. Gen. Washington 
was anxious to know the enemy's plan for the cam- 
paign, that he might arrange his own accordingly. 
In New York, too, he was surrounded by Tories ; 
and the proper method of treating them cost him no 
little thought and anxiety. 

" Head-quarters was a scene of incessant toil on 
the part of the Commander-in-chief, his secretaries 
and aides-de-camp." "I give in to no kind of 
amusements myself," writes he, "and consequently 
those about me can have none, but are confined 
from morning till evening, hearing and answering 
applications and letters." Yet this very sentence 
is taken from a recommendation to Congress that 
his aids should have higher salaries ; and no one 
can read Gen. Washington's letters without won- 
derins; how he could manasre, in the midst of such 



AGE 41.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 93 

heavy cares, to remember the private affairs of his 
friends and many other people. 

He spent a few days in Philadelphia in May, to 
give information to Congress,* and to arrange plans. 
He urged that soldiers should be enlisted for a 
longer time, stating the many disadvantages of con- 
stantly forming and breaking up armies, and the 
bad policy of frequently calHng out the militia in 
what promised to be a long war. During this visit, 
also, a better arrangement was made for despatch- 
ing .business between the Commander-in-chief and 
Congress. There had been great delays up to this 
time. 

Soon after "Washington's return to New York, a 
plot was discovered among the Tories. Gen. 
"Washington was to have been seized, and either 
killed or delivered to the enemy. Gov. Tryon was 
supposed to be at the bottom of it: he was ready 
to provide arms for all who would join the enemy 
in an attempt to cut off all intercourse between 
the city and the country. The plan came to noth- 
ing; but it made every one suspicious. Some sort 

* Gen. Lee wrote to him: "I am extremely glad that you are 
in Philadelphia, dear General; for their counsels sometimes lack 
a little of military electricity." 



94 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [lT7G. 

of conspiracy had spread far into the country, and 
no man knew whether his neighbor was a half or 
a whole Tory. The alarm and uncertainty in- 
creased the great excitement of the New-Yorkers. 
The mayor of the city was arrested, and a soldier 
of Gen. Washington's body-guard was executed. 

British ships arrived in the harbor, and began to 
land troops on Staten Island. But while danger 
thus threatened the city, all hearts were cheered by 
the Declaration of Independence made by Congress 
on the 4th of July, 1776.* This paper only told in 
words what had been shown by deeds for some time, 
— that the Americans would no longer submit to 
the King of England. Gen. Washington was not 
surprised by it ; he had for several months wished 
it ; and believed the effect of the Declaration would 
be good on other nations, and that it would make 
"the cause" more animating to his own soldiers. 
" The General hopes and trusts," he says in one of 
his orders, "that every officer and man will en- 
deavor so to live and act as becomes a Christian 
soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of 
his country." 

* This is the reason of our national holiday. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 95 

Two of the ships pushed up the river, alarming 
the country people for the safety of two forts on 
its banks ; and they turned out with the greatest 
spirit, leaving their harvests in the field. But their 
excitement Avas small compared with that of the 
city when the British admiral, Lord Howe, arrived. 
He came hoping to reconcile America and England ; 
but he had no power to yield anything on the part 
of the British government. All that his addresses 
promised was pardon to those who would return to 
their allegiance to the crown. He was vexed to 
find that he came too late ; but persisted in sending 
on shore a letter addressed to " George Washington, 
Esq." Col. Reed, Washington's friend, who was 
again with the army, answered that he knew no 
such person in the camp, and firmly declined receiv- 
ing the letter. It was then proposed that a certain 
Col. Patterson should be allowed to have an inter- 
view with Gen. Washington. This was agreed to; 
and the Commander-in-chief received him at head- 
quarters, with his officers and guards about him, in 
ceremonious style. Col. Patterson spoke to him as 
"your Excellency"; said that Lord Howe did not 
intend any disrespect; and showed a letter ad- 
dressed to " George Washington, &c., &c." ; hoping 



96 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

that the and-so-forths, " as they imphed everything," 
would satisfy all ideas of propriety. 

Gen. Washington answered, that it was "true 
that they implied everything, but they also implied 
anything,'' and that he should absolutely refuse to 
receive any letter sent to him in his public station 
which did not give him his proper title. Gen. 
Howe said of this interview, that it was "more 
polite than interesting"; but he altered the direc- 
tion of his letters in future. He and Gen. Wash- 
ington had occasion to write to each other about 
the exchange of prisoners, which is done according 
to rank: a general is exchanged for a general, a 
colonel for a colonel, and a private for a private. 

The ships in the Hudson continued to cause great 
alarm ; but the militia were fortunately under the 
able command of Gen. George Clinton, a watchful 
and active officer. Gen. Putnam was busy in sinking 
some vessels fastened together with logs, which he 
flattered himself would prevent any more ships from 
passing up. Washington had not much confidence 
in the old general's being able to stop up the pas- 
sage ; and he gave his own attention to strength- 
ening the works both about the city itself and on 
the banks of the Hudson. The event proved the 



AGE 41.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 97 

wisdom of his judgment. "Old Put's" labor was 
wasted. 

Some plans were formed for attacking tlie troops 
landing on Staten Island, but they were not carried 
out; and ship after ship disembarked Hessians* and 
British, until the slopes of the island were white 
with tents. Their numbers amounted to about thir- 
ty thousand men, well armed, well drilled, and well 
supplied. Sir Henry Clinton, who had been de- 
feated in an attack on Charleston, S. C, Lord Corn- 
wallis, and Lord Dunmore (the late Governor of 
Virginia), were all with Gen. Howe. His brother. 
Lord Howe, was the admiral of the fleet. To all 
this force Gen. Washington could oppose only an 
army of little more than seventeen thousand men, — 
raw soldiers, many of them militia just called from 
their homes, without tents, and without almost every- 
thing that is needed in a camp. 

But the enemy's great advantage was in the fleet. 
They could send ships up the East and Hudson 
Rivers, or easily land at some distant point while the 
Americans were making a toilsome march to meet 
them. 

* German soldiers hired by tlie Britidi government. 

7 



98 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

For many days, Washington was in a state of 
complete suspense. Not knowing Avhere an attack 
might be begun, he tried to be watchful at all points. 
The citizens of New York were in a most excited 
state. They feared the town would either be can- 
nonaded by the British, or burnt by the Americans. 
The Tories despised the American army. The 
Whigs dreaded falling into the enemy's hands. 
Women and children came to head-quarters, and 
beset the General in his walks, begging for protec- 
tion. He pitied their sufferings, and did all in his 
power to relieve them by getting them removed from 
the city. 

Quarrels among his men also both provoked and 
distressed the Commander-in-chief. One strife, 
indeed, the events soon following caused to be 
remembered. There were some gay troops from 
Delaware and Maryland, distinguished for their 
bravery, their drill, and their dress : in short, they 
were the dandies of the American army, — lively, 
and free of speech. They specially laughed at a 
company of horsemen from Connecticut, — farmers 
in homespun suits, armed with duck-guns, or any 
other weapon they could lay hands on, and riding 
on their farm-horses, which the sav " macaro- 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 99 

nis " * called " sorry jades." Cavalry f was not 
very useful within the city. The men, however, 
refused to act as foot-soldiers ; and Gen. Washington, 
afraid of discontenting the rest of the army if he 
indulged them, dismissed them. They went home, 
carrying with them unpleasant reports of the army, 
and complaints of the General. 

Washington, in his general orders, most earnestly 
warned both officers and men against cherishing this 
spirit of attachment to their own State only. In one 
order, he says : " Let all distinction of nations, coun- 
tries, and provinces be lost in the generous contest 
who shall behave with the most courage against the 
enemy, and the most kindness and good-humor to 
each other. 

See what a patriot Washington was ! He fought 
not for Virginia only, not that he himself might be 
free, but for all the States, for all his countrymen, 
and for us, their children's children. Other people 
might have their narrow, selfish aims ; but the love 
of his whole country was pure and warm in Wash- 
ington's heart. He was careful, also, to keep up and 
strengthen the moral character of his troops. For 

* A name used at that time to mean a dandy, a beau, 
t Soldiers who fight on horseback. 



100 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

this purpose, he excused them from certam kinds of 
work on Sundays, that they might go to church ; and 
adds : " The General is sorry to be informed that the 
foohsh and wicked practice of profane cursing and 
swearing — a vice heretofore httle known in an 

American army — is growing into fashion 

It is a vice so mean and low, without any tempta- 
tion, that every man of sense and character detests 
and despises it." 

At last, towards the end of August, the enemy 
began to land on Long Island. Hessian and British 
regiments were plainly seen, the noise of cannon was 
occasionally heard, and puffs of smoke curled up 
over the thick woods. The British, however, were 
very leisurely in their movements ; and, for some 
time, Washington could not decide Avhether they 
would attack the works on Long Island while the 
ships sailed up to the city, or would combine their 
forces on one enterprise. Gen. Greene commanded 
the troops on Long Island, distant about a mile from 
the village of Brooklyn ; but, unfortunately, his 
severe illness made it necessary to send over Gen. 
Putnam almost at the last moment. This Avas a 
great disadvantage, as he could not make himself 
familiar with the ground. 



AGE 44.J GEORGE WASHINGTON. 101 

On the night of the 26th of August, the British 
marched from their landing-place ; and, aJt daybreak 
the next morning, the battle of Long Island began. 
The attacking army marched in three divisions ; and 
the Americans had unhappily left an unguarded 
road, by which one body Avas enabled to come up 
and surround those Americans who were engaged 
with another division of the enemy. The American 
generals did not penetrate at all the British plan: 
they therefore sent out what they considered a suffi- 
cient force to meet two attacks ; but, when the poor 
fellows attempted to retreat to the lines, a third sup- 
ply of fresh British troops cut them to pieces. The 
3''oung Americans fought bravely, and even des- 
perately ; but the Hessians showed no mercy, and 
despatched them with the bayonet when they were 
too near for firing. 

This was hardly a regular battle ; for the three 
British generals attacked in different places, and then 
waited until they could join each other successfully ; 
so that there were long pauses in the fighting. 

At dawn, the roar of cannon had aroused the city 
of New York. As soon as Gen. Washington found 
that the wind was against the ships, and that there 
would be no attempt on the city, he hurried over to 



102 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. [l776. 

the scene of action. Taking liis station on a high 
hill, his telescope soon showed him the mistakes of 
his officers, and their ignorance of the enemy's num- 
bers. The ground was so wooded, that the plan of 
attack could not be perceived by any one fighting. 
It was too late to change the orders. He could only 
watch the defeat; and, when the gallant Mary landers 
were shut in between two British columns, Washing- 
ton wrung his hands in agony at the sight. " Good 
God ! " cried he, " what brave fellows I must this 
day lose ? " As soon as those who accomplished 
their retreat were within the lines, Washington pre-' 
pared for an immediate assault from the enemy ; but 
the British commander preferred to spare life, and 
trust to time for giving him the place. 

Among the various causes of this day's defeat were 
the enemy's greater numbers ; the illness of Gen. 
Greene ; the long uncertainty in which the Com- 
mander-in-chief was kept ; and, last and chiefly, that 
unguarded road. The despised Connecticut horse- 
men might have scoured the country, and brought 
such news of the enemy's motions as would have 
saved the lives of the brave Southerners who 
laughed at them. 

The niglit after the battle was a dismal one. Tli^ 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 103 

wounded suffered, as they always must at such times. 
There were few tents ; and the weary, dispirited 
troops must watch, and be prepared ; for their strong 
enemy was not a mile off. Washington went the 
rounds at four o'clock in the morning, to see that 
all was right, and to cheer the men, though anxious 
enough himself. 

The next day no attack was made, and fresh 
American troops arrived from the upper end of 
Manhattan Island ; but, during the morning, the 
motions of the ships were so alarming, that, lest the 
army should be surrounded, Washington, with his 
council of officers, decided to take his troops back 
to New York that very night. 

Imagine how many boats would be needed to 
carry over nine thousand men, heavy guns, horses, 
provisions, powder and shot, and all the necessities 
of an army. Then, too, all orders must be given 
secretly; and there must not be noise enough to 
alarm the enemy, who were within hearing. The 
soldiers were only told to be ready for a night 
attack ; which seemed strange to them, tired as they 
were, and with their guns wet with fog and rain. 

In the evening, the retreat began. Gen. Wash- 
ington went directly to the ferry, and there super- 



104 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

intended ail the embarkation. In tlie dead of niglit, 
wliile tlie Americans Avere moving as silently as pos- 
sible, a cannon went oif with a tremendous roar ! 
The Americans could not stop to ascertain the cause; 
but it did not disturb the British. Fortunately, 
there was a thick fog, so that the enemy could not 
see what was going on ; and Gen. Mifflin was left 
with a few troops to keep guard and station senti- 
nels, just as if the army were within the lines. An 
aid brought him Washington's order to call in his 
men, and join him at the landing. It was a blun- 
der on the part of the aid. There was some confu- 
sion at the ferry in getting off those troops Mdiich 
had already arrived there ; and Washington saw, 
with horror. Gen. IMifflin and his men appear too 
soon. He hastily explained to Mifflin that it was a 
mistake, and that they must turn back, for fear of 
ruining the whole plan. 

That handful of men did turn back, at tlie risk of 
meeting the enemy, when they must have been de- 
stroyed. How unwillingly they must have left their 
fellow-soldiers on the shore ! They found the works 
still empty, took their places again, and waited till 
they were sent for. When, at last, they crossed, 
their Commander-in-chief followed them. 




At Lon^ Island the troops embarking in a ki 

7'(zoe/(/4 



I 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 105 

Very few valuables were lost in this remarkable 
retreat. The boats were managed by a regiment of 
Marblehead fishermen, who thus had an opportunity 
of Avorking at their own trade. 

Few events in the war gave Gen. Washington 
more reputation than this silent, swift removal of 
his men from the very sight of the enemy, who, 
being informed of their departure by the servant 
of a Tory woman, entered the Avorks the next 
morning. 

In a letter of the 81st of August, apologizing for 
a slight delay in writing, Washington speaks of the 
fatigue of himself and family (his aids) : " For 
forty-eight hours preceding the passage, I had hardly 
been off my horse, and never closed my eyes, so 
that I was quite unfit to write or dictate." He had 
all the flitigue of a private, and the anxiety of mind 
that belongs to a commander. 

After the return to New York, the British ships 
came closer to the city than they had ever done 
before ; but the army contented themselves with 
taking possession of the works built by the Amer- 
icans on Long Island. The truth was, that Lord 
Howe sincerely Avished to make peace. For this 
purpose he sent to Congress, requesting an intervicAV 



106 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

with some of the members. Three gentlemen met 
his Lordship at Staten Island, but nothing came of 
it. He had no new powers from his government, 
and could not promise any change of pohcy to- 
wards America. 

Meantime, Washington's troops were dispersing. 
The militia and volunteers went home ; and, what 
was perhaps worse, they took their guns and powder 
wdth them. Officers and men were alike dispirited 
by the defeat on Long Island ; and Washington 
wrote, on the 2d of September, " With the deepest 
concern, I am obliged to confess my -want of confi- 
dence in the generality of the troops." 

Now a doubt arose as to the possibility of defend- 
ing New York. The men-of-war passed freely up 
both the Hudson and East Kivers ; and, after much 
deliberation with his officers, the Commander-in- 
chief finally gave the order to remove the sick and 
the stores, and divide the amiy, while Gen. Putnam 
remained in the city to keep up appearances. Gen. 
Washington had made up his mind that this must 
be "a war of posts"; that he must avoid battles, 
and endeavor to wear away the enemy's strength 
by slow degrees, never attacking unless he had 
great advantages. ''With these views," he wrote. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTOX. 107 

"and being fully persuaded that it would be pre- 
sumption to draw out our young troops into open 
ground against their superiors both in numbers and 
discipline, I have never spared the spade * and pick- 
axe." 

An incident that occurred during the removal in- 
creased Gen. Washington's dislike to militia. The 
British began to land from boats between Turtle 
and Kip's Bays ; and some militia, who guarded 
the breastworks at that place, immediately took to 
flight. Some regulars t joined them in their panic, 
when Washington galloped up to the scene of con- 
fusion. He endeavored to form them in vain. He 
snapped his pistols at them ; threatened them with 
his own sword; and, when he saw them still run- 
ning, he dashed his hat on the ground, and ex- 
claimed, "Are these the men with whom I am to 
defend America?" His indignation completely 
broke down his remarkable composure of manner; 
but he soon recovered it, and decided to change his 
plans. 

Gen. Putnam was ordered to leave the city of 
New York. There was too great a risk that some 

* For digging earth to make fortifications, 
t Soldiers who belong to an army. 



108 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

party of the British might land between him and 
the rest of the army, and cut him off entirely. He 
succeeded in getting all his troops out; but some 
cannon and other stores, which the Americans could 
ill afford to lose, fell into the enemy's hands in con- 
sequence of the cowardly behavior of the militia. 

The next morning, however, a skirmish took place, 
in which American courage showed itself the same 
as on Bunker's Hill. The sj^irits of the men re- 
vived ; they saw that the " red-coats " were no bet- 
ter than themselves ; and, in his orders, the Com- 
mander-in-chief took care to praise all who distin- 
guished themselves. 

In the midst of all this uncertainty, hurry, false 
reports, and real alarms. Gen. Washington began to 
think of what was to be done for the future. The 
year for which the army had enlisted at Cambridge 
was nearly ended. Where would new soldiers and 
new officers come from? Must he again take sol- 
diers from the plough, or the workshop, and ag:tin 
see them return home just when they Avero begin- 
ning to be trustworthy and useful ? During tlie 
" hours allotted to sleep," he wrote a long letter to 
Congress, describing the condition of the army ; the 
need of trained men, and of good, carefully appointed 



I 



AGE 41.] GEORGE WASHI2^'GT0N. 109 

officers ; the trouble and expense of calling out mi- 
litia to serve for a few weeks at a time, and the 
confusion they caused in camp because they could 
not and would not be subjected to the same disci- 
pline as regular soldiers. He spoke of all these 
and other evils in simple, strong language. He 
knew just what they were ; for he had suffered 
from them. He pointed out the remedies ; and he 
expressed in a few words his own feelings of mor- 
tification and disappointment at not being able to 
do what he considered the work of an army, and 
satisfy the expectations of Congress and the country. 
This letter, added to Washington's former writings, 
produced an effect on Congress ; it was voted that 
the next army should be raised for the war. But 
there was a vast amount of thinking and writing to 
be accomplished before all the arrangements could 
be made. Washington served his country as much 
with his pen as with his sword. He was obliged 
to suggest to Congress what ought to be done ; 
while, in some things, he was under the orders of 
that body. Many of the members, too, had a great 
dread of the power of armies and generals ; and 
feared that, when the British should be defeated, 
Washington would have an army devoted to him, 



110 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

and would become the ruler of the United States. 
They had read of such things in history ; and, 
though they had perhaps as much confidence in 
Gen. Washington as in any one, still power was a 
great temptation to mortals, and they held back 
from putting it into the hands of "any one man." 
This feeling may have been natural enough ; but 
it was a terrible drawback in carrying on the 
war. For fear that he should conquer his own 
countrymen, the Commander-in-chief was many a 
time hard pressed for the means to conquer the 
enemy. 

At this time, Gen. Washington could not imagine 
what the enemy were waiting for ; and he was him- 
self constantly riding about to the different parts of 
his camp. Gen. Greene had charge of the Jersey 
shore, and watched the fleets. Three more ships 
went up the Hudson, dashing through the obstruc- 
tions as if they had been cobwebs. All was hurry 
and excitement; for those ships carried panic with 
them. No one knew what they were to do. Ex- 
presses flew to camp, and Washington wrote and 
sent hither and thither in all directions. Every 
one must be on the alert, and careful ; for Tories 
abounded in the neiirhborhood of New York. The 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. Ill 

militia mustered; but only skirmishes and plunder- 
ings took place. 

On the 12 th of October, the enemy landed at 
Throg's Neck, in the Sound. They were immedi- 
ately checked by the Americans, who had posses- 
sion of strong ground; but the next question was, 
whether the American army ought to remain on 
Manhattan Island, with the enemy in their rear. 
A council of officers — among whom was Gen. 
Lee, just returned fro-m the South — decided that 
it must be removed to the main land; and, on the 
23d of October, Gen. Washington established him- 
self at White Plains, in a fortified camp. The 
ground was high and rocky, and the river Bronx 
ran along the foot of the ridge. For several days 
the Commander-in-chief had been riding about the 
country, choosing, in that rough, half-wild region, 
proper places for fortifications. 

The day after the arrival of Gen. Lee, who 
brought over the rear of the army, Washington 
rode out with him and other general officers to 
reconnoitre.* As they were gently riding along 



* A military term for examining either the face of the coun- 
try or the arrangement of an enemy's army. 



112 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

towards a hill Lee thought it would be well to 
fortif)', a trooper galloi^ed up to them, crying out, 
" The British are in the camp, Sir ! " " Then, gen- 
tlemen," said Washington, " we have other business 
to attend to than reconnoitring." He set off for the 
camp at full gallop, the others following. Col. Reed 
told him, on his arrival, that the whole army was 
posted in order of battle. " Gentlemen," said Wash- 
ington, turning calmly to his companions, " you will 
return to your respective posts, and do the best you 
can." He had just time to give a few important 
orders, when the enemy appeared in two briUiant 
columns, accompanied by light-horse,* which the 
Americans particularly feared. They paused, and 
did not attack the front of the lines, but turned 
to a hill a little on the right of the camp. The 
Americans made a brave defence, and the loss 
on both sides was about equal ; but the enemy 
gained possession of the hill, and proceeded to 
fortify it. Washington did the same in his camp ; 
and his works were made with great speed by 
j3ulling up stalks of Indian corn, with the earth 

* Soldiers mounted on light, swift horses, dressed and armed 
as lightly as possible, and often rather small men. 



AGE 44.] GKORGE ^VASHIXGTON. Il3 

clinging to their roots. He always aimed at giv- 
ing his men something to fight behind, and the 
soldiers of the Revolution learned to use whatever 
came to hand. 

The army were already suffering from the cold. 
A British officer wrote : " The rebel army are in so 
wretched a condition as to clothing and accoutre- 
ments,* that I believe no nation ever saw such a 
set of tatterdemalions. There are few coats among 
them but what are out at elbows ; and, in a whole 
regiment, there is scarce a pair of breeches. Judge, 
then, how they must be pinched by a winter's cam- 
paign. We, who are warmly clothed and well 
equipped, already feel it severely." 

You must not imagine that any of these hardships 
were owing to Gen. Washington's neglect. It is not 
the business of a commander-in-chief to pay or clothe 
troops. Congress gave too small pay ; for the price 
of everything was raised by the war, and therefore 
the soldiers could not buy what they wanted ; and 
the separate States did not take sufficient pains to 
send supplies to their own men in camp. 



* All the things a soldier carries or wears besides his clothes, 
such as his gun, sword, sword-belt, and knapsack. 
8 



114 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

It is always difficult to provide for an army, and 
Congress did not know how to get money. Also, 
men of peace, who live at home, often cannot un- 
derstand all the wants of the soldier who sleeps on 
the side of a hill, after perhaps a day of digging 
trenches. Gen. Washington did everything in his 
power for the men, by his letters to Congress and 
the governors of the States.- 

On the night of the 31st of October, before any 
attack had been made on the camp, Gen. Washing- 
ton withdrew his army to Northcastle, about five 
miles from White Plains, where he again fortified 
high, rocky ground. He was afraid the enemy 
might pass behind him, and he had no mind to be 
shut in between them and the sea. Gen. Howe 
made no attack, and, in a few days, took his whole 
force to the Hudson River. Where was he going ? 
To the Jerseys ? or to attack Fort Washington ? — the 
only place on Manhattan Island where any Ameri- 
cans had been left. This was a strong fort, and 
Congress had particularly desired that it should be 
kept. It lay within Gen. Greene's command. 

As soon as Washington thought it probable that 
this was the enemy's object, he divided his army ; 
leaving Gen. Lee at Northcastle, in case of a return 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 115 

of the British ; sending one body to guard the passes 
of the Highlands, and another to protect the Jersey 
sliore. 

Nothing could be more embarrassing than to try 
to cover so many places Avith so small an army. He 
himself crossed the Pludson to Fort Lee, in New 
York, opposite to Fort Washington. He and some 
of his officers had believed that the garrison of the 
latter place had better be withdrawn ; but Gen. 
Greene was sure that it could hold out. Washing- 
ton had therefore forborne to give any order in his 
letters ; but he arrived in time to see the gallant 
defence, and at last the surrender of the fort. The 
British attacked it in four divisions, and the Amer- 
icans resisted nobly. For some time, Washington 
watched them with strong hope; but when, at last, 
he saw his men overpowered by numbers, and " bay- 
oneted by the Hessians while begging quarter,"* 
he was completely overcome, and tears blinded his 
eyes. 

The loss to the Americans was hea\^, not only in 
men, but in cannon and guns. Among the prison- 
ers were some of the best-disciplined troops in the 

* To give quarter is to spare men's lives. 



116 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. [l776. 

army. It was a mortification, too, to the army, and 
to the Commander-in-chief, whose judgment had been 
against keeping the place. Gen. Lee wrote to him : 
" O General, why would you be over-persuaded by 
men of inferior judgment to your own ? " This was 
aimed at Gen. Greene, Washington's friend. Lee 
was a man wlio would carry out his own design, no 
matter who might oppose him. He would never 
have respected the wishes of Congress, or the opin- 
ion of a person who was on the spot, as Gen. Greene 
had been. At this time. Gen. Lee was probably 
more confident than usual in his own judgment, 
because he had just been very successful at the 
South, and was extremely admired by the whole 
army. Even Washington's aids spoke of him with 
enthusiasm. 

The Commander-in-chief needed no discouraging 
remarks from other peoj^le to depress him. His 
own letter to his brother, after giving an account of 
this disaster, and of the many evils which he had 
foretold the year before, and which had now come 
to pass, ends with these words: "I am wearied 
almost to death with the retrograde* motion of 

* Backward. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 117 

things ; and I solemnly protest, that a pecuniary 
reward of twenty thousand pounds a year would 
not induce me to undergo what I do, and, after 
all, perhaps to lose my character, as it is impossi- 
ble, under such a variety of distressing circumstan- 
ces to conduct matters agreeably to public expecta- 
tion, or even to the expectation of those who employ 
me, as they will not make proper allowances for 
the difficulties their own errors have occasioned." 

Now a dark time came for the army. It was 
necessary to make a hasty retreat from Fort Lee, 
on the west bank of the Hudson, opj)Osite Fort 
Washington. Tents, baggage, artillery, and pro- 
visions were lost. On they went through the Jer- 
seys, from Hackensack to NcAvark ; thence to 
Brunswick, to Princeton, and to Trenton. It was 
a slow retreat ; for, at each halt, Washington hoped 
to be re-enforced by militia at least : but they did 
not come, and Lord Cornwallis was pursuing him 
with a superior force. The people of the Jerseys 
were inclined to Toryism ; and, besides, they natu- 
rally thought that a flourishing, well-equipped army 
would protect them better than a worn-out, retreating 
one : therefore they gave no help to the patriots. 

Washington expected Gen. Gates from the North- 



118 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

ern department; and sent six letters, besides ex- 
presses, to hasten Gen. Lee's march from North- 
castle. He wrote to the governor of New Jersey, 
and sent Gen. Mifflin to Congress for immediate 
aid. He spared no exertion of his pen, and no ef- 
fort to keep his men with him ; but all that he was 
able to accomplish was the securing the boats, so 
that the enemy were prevented from crossing the 
Delaware after he had stationed himself on the 
bank. 

At the end of November, in the midst of all this 
public distress, Washington received a cruel blow 
from a friend whom he loved and trusted. Col. 
Reed was absent from camp for a few days, and 
the General opened and answered his business-let- 
ters. One day a letter for Col. Reed was brought 
to him from Gen. Lee, wliich was private, and any- 
thing but complimentary to the Commander-in- 
chief, lie immediately perceived that Col. Reed 
must have M^-itten to Lee in somewhat the same 
strain ; for this letter was evidently an answer. He 
enclosed it to Col. Reed without one word of re- 
proach; merely explaining in his note that he had 
opened it supposing it to be a letter on public 
business. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 119 

Gen. Lee delayed joining Washington, because 
he had projects of his own which he thought would 
be very useful; and though the Commander-in- 
chief wrote in one letter, " Do come on, your ar- 
rival may be fortunate," Lee still moved slowly, 
and entirely according to his own judgment, with- 
out any regard to orders. At last, one day when 
he was lodging at a solitary farm-house, he was 
taken prisoner by a small party of the British. 
AYashington forbore to blame his carelessness, and 
made every arrangement in his power to make his 
captivity comfortable. 

It was, perhaps, fortunate for the Americans 
that this loss befell them. They had been dazzled 
by Gen. Lee's military talents; and now they had 
an opportunity to contrast his wilfulness and short- 
sighted judgment with the wisdom and patient for- 
bearance of their true hero. 

The British soon learned that there was energy 
in the American counsels without Lee. Washing- 
ton wrote to his brother, Dec. 18, 1776: "If every 
nerve is not strained to recruit the army with all 
possible expedition, I think the game is pretty 

nearly up You can form no idea of the 

perplexity of my situation. No man, I believe, ever 



120 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l776. 

had a greater choice of evils, and less means to 
extricate himself from them." He was not readj, 
however, to give up "the game" yet. Militia-men 
began to join him, and the banks of the Delaware 
were carefully guarded. 

On the night of the 25th (Christmas night), Gen. 
Washington crossed the river to attack the Hessians 
at Trenton. It was so full of ice, that the Mar- 
blehead regiment found it very hard to manage the 
boats. After the crossing, the men marched nine 
miles through snow and hail, sometimes marking 
the whitened ground with blood from their shoeless 
feet. As they drew near Trenton, Washington, 
who rode in front, asked a man chopping wood by 
the roadside, "Which way is the Hessian picket"?* 
*' I do not know," was the surly answer. " You may 
tell," said the officer at Washington's side ; " for that 
is Gen. Washington." "God bless and prosper 
you ! " cried the man instantly. " The picket is in 
that house, and the sentry stands near that tree." 

The battle of Trenton was short indeed, com- 
pared with the march that had led to it. The en- 
emy were surprised, scattered about the town, and 

* A small guard stationed in front of an army. 




Which Way is the Hessian picket? 

Tag& 120. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 121 

soon forced to surrender. During the firing, Gen. 
Wasliington was much exposed; but no entreaties 
could persuade him to fall back Many prisoners 
were taken ; and, had the whole of Washington's 
plan been accomplished, the two other generals, who 
were to have crossed at the same time, would have 
captured those Hessians who escaped from Trenton. 
Gen. Washington, not being joined as he expected, 
was in great danger from the enemy close at hand, 
and was obliged immediately to recross the Delaware 
with his tired troops and prisoners. The weather 
was so severe, that two men were frozen to death 
on Christmas night. Notwithstanding Washington's 
haste, he found time to visit the dying Hessian com- 
mander. Col. Rahl. 

After a very short rest. Gen. Washington was 
anxious to follow up the affair of Trenton by an- 
other blow at the Hessians. They were so dis- 
turbed by his sudden attack, and by the movements 
of Colonels Reed, Cadwalader, and Griffin, nearer 
Philadelphia, that they had already begun to retreat. 
At this moment disciplined soldiers were absolutely 
necessary ; and the Commander-in-chief promised 
ten dollars apiece to those who had been with him, 
if they would stay six weeks longer. He wrote to 



122 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

Mr. Morris, a patriot of Philadelphia, to ask him to 
provide the money ; and, oddly enough, a Quaker, 
whose principles forbade fighting, supplied the need- 
ed sum. At this distressing time, too, Congress 
gave Washington power, for the next six months, 
to raise regiments, to appoint officers, and to do 
many other things, exactly as he should judge fit, 
without consulting them. 

The ice in the Delaware caused such delay in the 
Americans' crossing, that Lord Cornwallis had time 
to return to Jersey with a strong force. Gen. Wash- 
ington was obliged to collect in one place all the 
troops which had been spread along the bank of the 
river ; and, even then, he was not in a state to offer 
battle. 

On the night of the 2d of January, the two armies 
laid down in sight of each other's fires, expecting a 
severe conflict the next day. But Washington sud- 
denly formed a better plan. He would not fight 
there with so many of the militia, nor would he 
retreat, for that would discourage them ; but he 
would attack a body of the enemy left at Prince- 
ton. He led his men over a rough, roundabout 
road, after leaving diggers and sentries within hear- 
ing of the British camp. At sunrise he reached 
Princeton. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 123 

Two British regiments, already on their march to 
join Lord CornwaUis, met the Americans ; and the 
first division of the Continentals was retreating in 
some confusion, when Washington arrived at the 
scene of action. " Everything was at peril. Put- 
ting spurs to his horse, he dashed past the hesitat- 
ing militia, waving his hat, and cheering them on. 
His commanding figure and white horse made him 
a conspicuous object for the enemy's marksmen ; 
but he heeded it not." 

The men rallied at the sound of his voice, and 
followed him. The action was short, but sharp. 
Washington, in the midst of it, was in danger from 
the random shot of his own men, as well as from 
that of the enemy. In the cloud of smoke and 
dust, one of his aids lost sight of him, and gave him 
up in despair. When, however, he reappeared, 
" Thank God ! " cried the aid, " your Excellency 
is safe ! " " Away, my dear Colonel, and bring up 
the troops ! the day is our own ! " answered Gen. 
Washington. 

The Americans pursued the retreating British 
towards Brunswick, where stores were collected ; but 
Washington restrained his ardor, considering the 
tired, sleepless, half-clad condition of his troops, and 



124 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

the strength of the enemy in his rear. Lord Corn- 
walUs had of course found out, that, for the third 
time in the course of a few months, Wasliington had 
silently stolen away in the night. He was afraid 
his stores were captured ; and consoled himself for 
the loss at Princeton, when he found they were 
safe. 

Gen. Washington at last came to a stand at Mor- 
ristown ; but he was fired with the idea of driv- 
ing the enemy out of Jersey; and whenever he was 
not marching, he was forming plans and writing let- 
ters. 

The people of the State were at last roused ; and, 
though he had but a handful of regular soldiers, by 
means of militia he managed to waylay small parties 
of the enemy ; to prevent their receiving suj)plies 
of provisions ; and, in a word, to worry them con- 
tinually. The positions of the two armies were so 
wonderfully reversed in little more than two weeks, 
that Cornwallis was oblisred to ask Gen. Washing^- 
ton if a party carrying medicines and stores to the 
Hessian prisoners could pass safely through the coun- 
try. Such a change not only proved the skill and 
energy of the General, but the resolution of a peo- 
ple whom it would be hard to conquer. 



AGE 44.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 125 

Morristown, which became the winter quarters of 
the arm}', was situated on high hills, easily defended. 
There all the troops were collected, except a small 
body stationed at Princeton, under Gen. Putnam, to 
harass and annoy the enemy. 

The small-pox again broke out in the American 
army, and the sufferings from it were frightful. 
Hospitals were prepared by Washington's orders, 
and he went constantly to see and cheer the sick. 
In the pestilence, as on the battle-field, he shared 
•with his men danger and despondency. 

An officer, who had been in the tv/o recent battles, 
wrote on the 7tli of January : " Our army love their 
General very much; but they have one thing against 
liim ; which is, the little care he takes of himself in 
any action. His personal bravery, and the desire he 
has of animating his troops, by example, make him 
fearless of danger. This occasions us much uneasi- 
ness. But Heaven, which has hitherto been his 
shield, I hope will continue to guard so valuable a 
life." 

During this winter at Morristown, Gen. Washing- 
ton was incessantly occupied. In the new army 
which was slowly forming, the old officers expected 
rank ; and their rivalries, jealousies, and disappoint- 



126 GEOIiGE -WASHINGTON. [l777. 

ments were endless. In some of these feelings the 
Commander-in-chief sympathized; for he did not 
think Congress always considerate or just in making 
appointments ; and a man might be very popular 
with the members, and yet be a poor officer. There 
is always among officers a sensitiveness about rank ; 
for which Congress did not make allowance, but 
Washington did. He would appeal to a man's patri- 
otism not to leave his country's service at an impor- 
tant moment, and then write another letter to Con- 
gress urging his merits and his sacrifices. To think 
and to write for both parties formed no small part 
of Washington's work. A great many foreign offi- 
cers, particularly Frenchmen, also applied for high 
rank in the American army. This was a great 
cause of trouble ; for no native officer, who had 
served during the war, would be expected to obey 
a foreigner of the same rank ; yet the knowledge 
and experience of the Europeans were often very 
desirable. Congress wished not to offend French- 
men, as there were great hopes of an alliance * for 
the war with France. 

One person presented himself, whose first words 

* An alliance is a union between two nations. 



AGE 45.] GEORGE AYASHINGTON. 127 

pleased the Commander-in-chief. Kosciuszko, a Pole 
of high rank and education, brought him a letter of 
introduction from Dr. Franklin. " What do you 
seek here ? " inquh'ed Washington. " To fight for 
American independence." " What can you do ? " 
" Try me." Washington admitted him into his 
family as an aid, and he proved himself a valuable 
engineer-officer. 

During this winter and spring, several letters 
passed between Gen. Washington and Sir William 
Howe concerning the exchange of prisoners. The 
Americans in New York suffered such hardships, 
that Washington conceived it his duty to make a 
complaint. Sir William Howe sturdily d(5nied any 
cruelty ; but when, at last, the men came out in the 
spring, they were in such a feeble, dying condition, 
as confirmed all their reports. It is not hkely that 
Sir William Howe knew how they were treated. 
He and his generals were unifomily kind to Ameri- 
can officers ; but he did not much concern himself 
about privates. 

Congress, having an exaggerated idea of the sever- 
ity of Gen. Lee's confinement, ordered retaliation 
upon the British and Hessian officers captured at 
Trenton and Princeton. Washington entirely dis- 



128 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

agreed with them ; he thought such a measure both 
cruel and unwise ; but the enemy blamed him for 
what he had not power to prevent. 

Beside these things, a great many smaller matters 
pressed upon the attention of the General ; but these 
are enough to give some idea of his cares. His 
force was at times scanty indeed. "The enemy," 
he wrote, "must be ignorant of our numbers and situ- 
ation, or they would never suffer us to remain unmo- 
lested ; and I almost tax myself with imprudence in 
committing the flict to paper, for fear this letter 
should by any accident fall into other hands than 
those for which it is intended." 

Sir William Howe was in no haste, however, to 
leave his comfortable quarters in New York ; and 
the plans for the coming campaign could only be 
guessed at. Both Gen. Gates and Gen. Schuyler 
pressed for supplies at the North, believing that 
an immediate attack on Ticonderoga was to be 
expected. Washington himself thought that Sir 
William Howe would advance to Philadelphia. To 
save that important city had been the object of his 
winter battles, and he was determined to dispute the 
possession of it still. 

The forts on the Hudson River were to be looked 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 129 

to most carefullj. In Maj, five generals went 
to examine them and recommend improvements. 
The command on the river was given to Gen. Put- 
nam. " You are well acquainted," wrote Washing- 
ton to Gen. M'Dougall, " with the old gentleman's 
temper : he is active, disinterested, and open to con- 
viction." " Old Put " began the work of obstructing 
the river with as much zeal as if he had not failed 
before. This time he stretched an iron chain across 
the Hudson at Fort Montgomery. To guard the 
river was particularly important this year (1777) ; 
because, if the British succeeded at Lake Cham- 
l^lain, they must be prevented from joining the army 
in New York. 

Early in the spring. Sir William Howe sent out 
some expeditions to destroy the American stores. In 
one case the loss was particularly felt, as they burnt 
the tents intended for the army's summer use. But 
the people rose with spirit against the marauders, 
especially in Connecticut, where Gen. Benedict 
Arnold distinguished himself as usual ; and, on the 
whole, such inroads Avere of no use to King George 
III. Col. Meigs, of the American army, was suc- 
cessful in an attack of the same sort on tlie enemy's 

stores. 

9 



ISO GEORGE A7ASH1NGT0N. [l777. 

In June, however, Sir William Howe came out 
from New York with liis whole array, and, for about 
three weeks, manoeuvred about in New Jersey, 
sometimes endeavoring to tempt Gen. Washington to 
a battle m front of his lines; sometimes trying to get 
behind, and enclose him. Now he marched forward ; 
then he struck his tents, and retreated. It was ne- 
cessary to be prepared for everything, and to guard 
Philadelphia. Before they came out, Washington 
had broken up his camp at Morristown, and 
stretched out his little army on the high, rugged 
hills. He was determined not to fight, and nothing 
took place but a little skirmishing. There was one 
gi'eat diiference between this spring and the last 
autumn : the Jersey militia were ready to serve, and 
the people were decidedly hostile to the enemy. 
The chief reason was, that both British and Hessians 
had plundered the farmers ; making enemies, in- 
stead of keeping friends. Washington, on the con- 
trary, took the greatest pains to prevent his soldiers 
from plundering Tory houses. 

While the army was in motion, and the General 
was most anxious, he received a letter from Gen. 
Reed, begging that the friendship wdiich had been 
interrupted by Washington's having seen that unfor- 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 131 

tunate epistle of Gen. Lee's, might be restored to 
him. It was a most affectionate letter ; and Wash- 
ington instantly wrote back again in equally cordial 
terms, thanking Reed for having written, and saying 
that he had felt hurt, not because he thought his 
friend had blamed him, but because he had made 
criticisms to Gen. Lee, instead of speaking to him- 
self openly of anything which he disapproved. Thus 
easily was Washington's forgiveness won, and his 
attachment to Mr. Reed lasted all his life. His 
letters during the past winter had been only upon 
business, and Gen. Reed had felt severely the 
change from his former intimate style. 

A younger friend was about this time allowed to 
share the confidence of the Commander-in-chief. 
Alexander Hamilton, the captain of a New York 
company of artillery, had distinguished himself dur- 
ing the last campaign, and was now serving as an 
aide-de-camp. He was not more than twenty years 
old ; but his mind was bright, and wonderfully ma- 
ture ; his manners were agreeable ; and he was very 
useful at head-quarters. He was so small, and so 
full of spirit, that Col. Harrison, Washington's " old 
secretary," used to call him " tiie little lion," while 
the Commander-in-chief would sometimes sav, " My 



132 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

boy." This little lion afterwards did great things for 
the United States, and his name must never be 
forgotten. 

On the last of June, Sir William Howe quitted 
New Jersey, and prepared to go on board his 
ships. Where was he going ? To the Eastern 
States, or to Philadelphia? or up the Hudson, to 
join Gen. Burgoyne on his march to Ticonderoga ? 
Every one was puzzled. The army must be di- 
vided; but how many important places were to be 
guarded ! 

Bad news came from Ticonderoga ; and Gen. 
Schuyler asked for troops, which Washington dared 
not send him. His advice for the campaign, and his 
symj)athy in all Schuyler's troubles, were always 
given, and always valued. Not till the 23d of July 
did the fleet leave New York Harbor. Washington 
then proceeded to Germantown, near Philadelphia ; 
"casting his eyes continually behind him," as he said, 
to the Ilighlands of the Hudson. 

One day, at a public dinner in Philadelphia, 
Washington first met Lafayette, a young French 
Marquis, who had left a young wife, and a luxurious 
home, to fight in the cause of freedom. He had had 
many adventures on his way, and Congress had 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 133 

given liim the rank of a major-general.* He clistin- 
gaished Washington in the midst of his officers by his 
commanding air and person, and the Commander-in- 
chief immediately gave him a most cordial invitation 
to make head-quarters his home. 

Lafayette wrote of his first sight of the American 
army, " Eleven thousand men, but tolerably armed, 
and still Avorse clad, presented a singular spectacle." 
The enthusiastic young nobleman was probably dis- 
appointed in the appearance of the patriots ; but he 
had the good sense to conceal any such feeling. 
"Washington said to him, " We ought to feel embar- 
rassed in presenting ourselves before an officer just 
from the French army." " It is to learn, and not to 
instruct, that I come here," was the answer of the 
jMarquis ; and it made him immediately popular. 

He had, indeed, arrived at a time of perplexity. 
The British fleet was seen far south of the Capes of 
the Delaware. Could it be going to Charleston ? 
Should the army march thither at the hot season ? 
Siiould it go back to New York and attack Sir 
Henry Clinton, or even try for a blow at Burgoyne ? 

* The third rank. The Commander-ua-chief is the highest offi- 
cer ; next, Lieutenant-general ; next, Major-general. 



134 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

Opinions differed, and all was uncertainty ; until, at 
last, the fleet came up Chesapeake Bay, and Wash- 
ington marched to Wilmington, in the State of Dela- 
ware. 

The enemy landed near the Plead of Elk in Mary- 
land, where there were many valuable stores. Light 
parties were sent out to keep them back while these 
were removed. They were seventy miles from 
Philadelphia ; but the country was not patriotic, and 
Sir William Howe judged it the best way to advance 
to the city. 

Washington now spent many days, on horseback, 
reconnoitring the country. He had made up his 
mind to risk a battle, though many of his men were 
militia, and others new recruits. There was a dispo- 
sition in the country to criticise the motions of the 
army. Congress now spurred him on ; and his 
natural disposition, so often restrained, was for 
action. It would injure the cause to suffer Phila- 
delphia to fall into the hands of the enemy without a 
blow. In his general orders of the 5th of September, 
he stated the case to the army. " Two years," con- 
tinued he, " we have maintained the war, and strug- 
gled with difficulties innumerable ; but the prospect 
has brightened. Now is the time to reap the fruit of 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 135 

all our toils and dangers. If we behave like men, 
this third campaign will be our last.'* 

After some changes of position on both sides, the 
battle began on the 11th of September. Washing- 
ton made his centre at Chad's Ford, on Brandywine 
Creek in Pennsylvania, which was on the direct road 
to Philadelphia. Here an attack was made, without 
much vigor on the enemy's part ; and the Americans 
began to think they might have an easy victory, 
when a message was brought that a body of the 
British had crossed the river above them, and were 
coming down on their right. The plan was quickly 
changed. Then the information was contradicted ; 
but it proved true. Lord Cornwallis had marched 
seventeen miles to get round the Americans. "When 
his heaA^y guns were heard, a sharp attack was made 
in front. For a time, the Americans fought well ; 
but at last they gave way before superior numbers 
and discipline. As night closed in, all was uproar 
and confusion along the road to Chester, twelve 
miles distant, where Washington, Greene, and 
Lafayette (who was wounded) checked tlie flight, 
and took post for the night. 

The Whigs of Philadelphia were terribly daunted 
at this result of the battle of the Brandywine. Many 



136 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

of tliem fled from the city to the hills, and Congress 
moved to Yorktown. But the enemy, strangely 
enougli, delayed near the field of battle two days ; 
thus giving Gen. Washington time to retreat toAvards 
Philadelphia, and make a few more arrangements 
for its defence. The army was in good spirits, so 
that he again marched towards Sir William Howe, 
with the intention of offering battle. A violent rain, 
however, prevented this, and lefl the guns and 
powder in such a state that retreat was necessary. 
During this retreat, some troops under Gen. Wajiie 
were lost. 

The vigorous, well-supplied British army was 
able to march and countermarch in a way for which 
Washington's ragged, shoeless soldiers were no 
match ; and after many harassing days, and a con- 
sultation to ascertain if it were possible to fight 
again, he was obliged to see the enemy, in long 
array, enter Philadelphia. He had reason to pride 
himself on having kept them out so long with his 
small, inexperienced force ; nor did he now despond. 
He hoped for good news from the North, and that he 
might be able to prevent Gen. Howe from getting 
supplies by land. There were two forts and several 
obstructions in the river Delcware, which were 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 137 

expected to check the fleet ; so that the enemy's sit- 
uation in the city miglit not be a very desirable one. 
They had also a camp at Geniiantown, which 
Gren. Washington determined to attack. After 
giving his troops a little rest, and receiving some 
re-enforcements, he chose the night of the 3d of 
October as a favorable opportunity, when he knew 
that the British force had .been divided. Four roads 
met in Germantown; and along these roads the 
Americans advanced, Gen. Washington accompany- 
ing one of the divisions, and, as usual, exposing 
himself to the hottest fire. They came on with 
s^^irit, and fought well ; when suddenly, just as the 
enemy wavered a little, they were seized with a 
panic, and began to fall back, no one knew why. 
Of course not all the four parties had been exactly 
punctual in meeting ; and, while some were coming 
up, others were retreating, which caused great con- 
fusion. There was a thick fog, so that they could 
hardly tell friends from enemies ; and panic always 
spreads among raw soldiers : none but well-disci- 
plined veterans can resist it. The retreat, hoAV- 
ever, was accomplished without great loss; though 
it was excessively mortifying to the Commander-in- 
chief and his generals. 



138 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

They had some good grounds for encouragement, 
even in the face of all these disasters. One was, 
that the soldiers were not dispirited ; even in a de- 
feat, they found out their own powers, and thought 
themselves more nearly equal to the enemy than 
before. Another good result was, that the British 
were much impressed with the boldness of this at- 
tack upon them. In France, also, it was considered 
a most remarkable thing to bring " an army raised 
within the year" to the point of giving battle to 
the British. 

Washington now posted his army on strong 
ground near Philadelphia, and carefully guarded 
the roads. For active movements, he was obliged 
to wait till his force should be larger. Meantime 
news reached him of the loss of the forts on the 
Hudson. Sir Henry Clinton had been more than 
a match for Gen. Putnam, and had surprised Fort 
Montgomery. The Americans, however, had made 
a gallant defence. Fort Mercer, on the Delaware, 
was more successfully maintained against a detach- 
ment of Hessians. Gen. Washington deemed it a 
place of the utmost importance, and had put into it 
carefully chosen troops. Their courage proved 
them Avorthy of liis trust; and, in these days of 



AGE 45.] GEORGE AA'ASHINGTON. 139 

defeat, every brave deed was gladly welcomed by 
the Commander-in-chief. 

On the 17th of October of this year, Gen. Bur- 
goyne, who had marched to the attack of Ticon- 
deroga with a fine army, surrendered near Fishkill 
to Gen. Gates. This was, of coarse, a most impor- 
tant event to the Americans; and as the Com- 
mander-in-chief had made many plans for the cam- 
paign, which ended so triumphantly, and had watched 
the course of events with great interest, he ought 
to have been immediately informed of it by Gen. 
Gates. In any case, it would have been only a 
decent respect to a commander-in-chief. But Gen. 
Gates contented himself with writing to Congress, 
and Washington heard the news through others. 
Washington had already written to request that 
some regiments should be returned to him as quickly 
as possible; he now sent Col. Hamilton to hurry 
forward a large body. 

The young officer did not find his mission by any 
means a pleasant one ; for Gen. Gates, elated with 
his success,, had already formed his own plans for 
employing the troops, and was hardly disposed to 
remember that there was a head for the whole army. 
"Old Put" also made many objections to parting 



140 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

■with his men in the Highlands, because he had set 
his heart on making a dash at the city of New York. 

While these generals threw obstacles in Hamil- 
ton's way, Gen. Howe attacked Fort Mifflin, on an 
island in the Delaware. For four days, the defence 
was really splendid ; but at last the enemy's heavy 
guns destroyed even the palisades. There was 
nothing left to light for; and the heroic garrison, 
reduced to a very small number, crossed by night 
to Fort Mercer, illustrious for its former brave de- 
fence. 

Sir William Howe, of course, proceeded to attack 
that place ; and, before Washington's re-enforce- 
ments could reach it, the garrison, entirely outnum- 
bered by the enemy, had abandoned the works, 
which were immediately destroyed. 

Had the troops from the North arrived ten days 
earlier, the brave defenders of these two forts might 
have been assisted, the enemy would have been xevj 
uneasy in Philadelphia, and Washington's army 
would have closed the campaign cheerfnllj-. 

A little later, Gates's success and Washington's 
disasters were often contrasted; but who was to 
blame ? In the spring. Gen. Washington and Gen. 
Schuyler had thought of many things which helped 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 141 

to bring about Gen. Gates's triumph; and, in the 
autumn, he delayed giving the aid so sadly needed 
by the Southern army. The New York and New 
England militia flocked to his camp ; Avhile, in South- 
ern Pennsylvania, Washington, far from obtaining 
recruits, could not even get information of the en- 
emy's movements. In addition to all this, Congress, 
in the middle of the campaign, changed the plan for 
supplying the army with clothes and food. The 
consequence was, that the soldiers suifered severely 
for want of blankets and shoes. Gen. Washington 
was actually obliged to give up a march against Sir 
William Howe because so many of his men were 
barefoot. 

But all such troubles were scrupulously kept se- 
cret, lest the enemy should hear of them; and 
Washington was often blamed for not fighting when 
he had no men, or for not marching when his troops 
were worn out with weary days and watchful nights, 
— blamed, too, by men who had never seen an army 
or read a military book. 

In December of this year, the dissatisfaction of 
some members of Congress and of certain officers 
came to Gen. Washington's knowledge in a most 
unpleasant manner. A friend of his informed him 



142 GEORGE AYASHINGTON. [l777. 

that a letter from Gen. Conway, a foreigner, to 
Gen. Gates, contained expressions most disrespect- 
ful to liim, and highly improper to be passing be- 
tween officers under his command. By a short note 
to Conway, Washington immediately let all the 
plotters know that he was aware of their designs. 
Gen. Mifflin was extremely prominent among the 
discontented. Their exact intentions are not known 
now ; but there is every reason to believe that they 
wished to deprive Washington of his office of Com- 
mander-in-chief, and to put Gen. Gates in his place. 

"The cabal," as they were called, wrote long let- 
ters defending themselves from any charge of un- 
faithfulness ; and the correspondence on this subject 
between Washington, his friends and his enemies, 
lasted for several months. His letters are noble 
and dignified; though they sometimes express the 
pain which attacks on his character gave him, and 
sometimes show his warm indignation against those 
whom he looked upon as enemies to his and their 
country. Gen. Gates plays but a small part in the 
matter: his vanity, probably, was the cause of his 
engaging in such a scheme ; and his letters are 
weak. 

But, though this affair added a shade of gloom 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 143 

to the darkest time of the war, — the winter of 
1777-78, — it must not be thought that Washing- 
ton's friends failed liim. From many Americans 
he received most affectionate, sympathizing letters ; 
and Lafayette was true as steel. Both in public 
and in private, he took every opportunity to show 
his admiration for the Commander-in-chief. 

Li answer to a letter from Mr. Laurens, Presi- 
dent of Congress, Washington says: "My enemies 
take an ungenerous advantage of me. They know 
the delicacy of my situation, and that motives of 
policy deprive me of the defence I might otherwise 
make against their insidious attacks. But why 
should I expect to be exempt from censure, — the 
unfailing lot of an elevated situation? Merit and 
talents, with Avhich I can have no pretensions of ri- 
valship, have ever been subject to it. My heart 
tells me that it has been my unremitting desire to 
do the best that circumstances would permit; yet 
I may have been very often mistaken in my judg- 
ment of the means, and may, in many instances, 
deserve the imputation of error." 

But, while all this was going on, Gen. Washing- 
ton, though perfectly aware that he had enemies 
(and how many he could not tell), never made the 



144 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l777. 

slightest effort to defend himself, and wrote to these 
very men on military matters just as before. His 
attention was fixed on the affairs of the army and 
the nation: his own private troubles were never 
allowed to occupy the time he considered due to 
the service. 

Towards the end of November, Gen. AYashin2;ton 
carefully examined the defences of Philadelphia, 
with the idea of attacking the British ; but his offi- 
cers i^ronounced the plan too expensive in the lives 
of the men, and he gave up the hope of a closing 
success. 

Nothing more took place during this campaign 
but a little skirmishing. One day. Sir AYilliam Howe 
inarched out, and Washington prepared for an en- 
gagement. " His men were inspirited by his words, 
but still more by his looks, so calm and determined ; 
for the soldier regards the demeanor more than the 
words of his general in the hour of peril." But the 
American camp was on strong ground, and Wash- 
ington would not allow himself to be drawn from it. 
The British general, therefore, manoeuvred about 
considerably, and then returned to Philadelphia. 

Here was another of those occasions on which 
Washington showed himself entirely superior to 



AGE 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 145 

selfish motives. Of course, it would have been 
agreeable to him to undertake some brilliant exploit, 
that would have silenced his enemies in Congress, 
and made the Southern army as popular as the 
Northern. What could be more unpleasant to an 
officer's feelings, than to be so often retreating, and 
declining engagements ? But regard for his men's 
lives, and a prudent judgment of the chances of 
success, led him to decide on a course of conduct, 
and temptation could not draw him from it. 

About the middle of December, the army gloom- 
ily marched off to Valley Forge in Chester County, 
on the west side of the Schuylkill River, about 
twenty miles from Philadelphia. The reasons for 
choosing this place were, that it enabled them to 
watch the city and protect the country; but the 
supplies of that region had been almost used up by 
the two armies, and it was extremely difficult to 
get forage for the horses. The march was in cold 
Aveather. The troops suffered much for want of 
clothing; and their shoes were so worn out, "that 
the footsteps of many might be tracked in blood." 

Huts were immediately begun; but, during the 
building, Washington had occasion to order out 
certain troops. One general wrote to him in his 
10 ' 



146 GEOllGE WASHINGTON. [lT77. 

answer : " Fighting v/ill be far preferable to starv- 
ing." Another added : " Three days successively 
we have been destitute of bread ; two days we 
have been entirely without meat. The men must 
be supplied, or they cannot be commanded. It is 
w^ith pain I mention this distress : I know it will 
make }'our Excellency unhappy." In fact, there 
was a mutiny* for want of food; but the officers 
succeeded in checking it. The patience of the 
men under their sufferings touched their General 
deeply, and he was really indignant when he found 
the Legislature of Pennsylvania complained that 
this ill-supplied army went into wmter-quarters at 
all. He wrote a long letter to the President of 
Congress, stating how often his active operations 
had been interfered with by the want of proper 
supplies, and urging the necessity of providing for 
the future wants of the army. Pie mentioned, to 
show the hardships they endured, that there were 
two thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight men 
in camp unfit for duty, for want of clothes and 
shoes ; and that blankets were so scarce, that num- 

* When soldiers refuse to obej- their officers, and there are 
not enough faithful ones to control the disobedient, there is a 
mutiny. 



AGE 45.] GEORGE AVASIIINGTOX. 147 

bers of the men were obliged to keep warm at 
night by .fitting up at fires, instead of sleeping "in a 
natural and common way." Nothing could be more 
wasteful than alloAving the army to suffer so ; for all 
but very strong men became sick from exposure, 
and thus could not be useful soldiers. When, after 
knowing all these privations, people who lived 
comfortably in houses expected such an army to hold 
out in tents against a well-supplied superior force 
quartered in a city, the Commander-in-chief could 
no longer keep silence, towards Congress at least. 
Motives of policy induced him to do so in every 
other direction, without caring for what was said of 
liim. But his main object was to urge the ncces:;ity 
of doing better for the future. 

A committee came from Congress to Valley 
Forge to assist in re-arranging the whole plan of the 
army. The experience of three campaigns had 
convinced Gen. Washington that there were serious 
defects in the way in which the army was collected, 
disciplined, and supplied. He made it his chief 
business, with the assistance of all his ofFicers, to 
form a new and more judicious plan. As before, he 
had an almost endless number of letters to write to 
Congress on this subject, and to the officers of vari- 



148 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l77S. 

oiis ranks. He said once, that he had been " a slave 
to tlie service " ; and it Avas as true of the winters as 
of llie summers of the war. His influence was great 
in keeping the oincers with the army ; but, from Au- 
gust, 1777, to March, 1778, "between two and thn^e 
hundred officers resigned their commissions, and 
others were with difficulty dissuaded from it." The 
chief reason was that the officers feared they should 
receive nothing from the country at the end of the 
war. Other nations give half-pay to an officer, who, 
from old age or -wounds, is unable to serve ; and thus 
they have something to look forward to for them- 
selves and their families. Gen. Washington strongly 
urged that such an arrangement should be made by 
the United States ; but Congress, as Gen. Lee once 
said, " stumbled." 

During this winter, "Washington also carried on 
an unpleasant correspondence with Sir William 
Howe about the exchange of prisoners. But, while 
his thoughts were thus occupied, the distress around 
him continued. " For some days past, tlvere has 
been little less than a fiimine in the camp," he wrote 
on the IGth of February. "A part of the army 
has been a week Avilhout any khid of fiesh, and tiie 
rest three or four days. Naked and starving as they 



Aas 45.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 149 

are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable 
l^atlence and fidelity of the soldiery. He wrole to 
every person who could possibly furnish supplies in 
great quantities ; and, in the spring, their wants 
were considerably relieved, especially as they man- 
aged sometimes to capture the food Avhich was on its 
way to Philadelphia, where the British lived in great 
luxury. Some of the English officers blamed Gen. 
Ilowe not a little for wasting the winter in dissipa- 
tion, instead of attacking Gen. Washington. Had 
he done so, the American army would certainly 
have been in as great danger as at any time during 
the war. 

In February, Mrs. Washington came to camp : 
some ofiicers' wdves were also there. The whole 
army lived in huts, arranged in streets, resembling a 
village. ]Mrs. Washington wrote to a friend : " The 
General's apartment is very small. He has had a 
log-cabin built to dine in, which has made our 
quarters much more tolerable than they were at first." 
But what cold winds must have blown round that 
dinner-table ! Mrs. Washington certainly found a 
contrast between life at head-quarters and life at 
Mount Yernon. 

In February, also, a valuable assistant to Wash- 



150 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l778. 

ington arrived at Valley Forge, — Baron Steuben, 
a distinguislied German otHcer, who was particularly 
successful in drilling men. This was confided entire- 
ly to him ; and he taught not only the men, but the 
officers. He was strict in his ideas of discipline, and 
must have been shocked, at first, at the difference 
between the ragged Americans and the well-clothed, 
well-drilled European armies ; but he had the good 
sense to make allowance for a young country. His 
men became fond of him in spite of some droll 
scenes when he Avas vexed at their stupidity, but 
could not scold them for want of English. He was 
alert ; a great worker ; intelligent, faithful, and kind ; 
and he gave the Commander-in-chief, for the first 
time, an army such as it should be, — able to work 
" like a great machine." 

In April, Gen. Washington called a council of 
officers to consider whether he should take the field 
actively, or wait to see what the enemy would do. 
The majority were in favor of waiting. 

The fear that France would join the United 
States, and the surrender of Burgoyne's army, led 
the British government to propose a reconciliation, 
and to send commissioners to this country to grant 
pardons. But it was too late. Congress refused to 



AGE 48.] GEORGE >A ASHINGTON. 151 

see them. Washington said, " Nothing short of 
independence, it appears to me, can j)ossibly do." 

In May came news of a pleasanter character. 
France had formed an alliance for the war with the 
United States. This was a great event ; for Eng- 
land would be obliged to make far greater efforts to 
defend herself against her old enemy, and to wage 
war in so many different places at once. It also 
showed, that at least one European nation thought 
the United States would be able to maintain them- 
selves, and was willing to treat with them as a 
separate people. A day was set apart for rejoicing 
at Valley Forge. There was a religious service, a 
parade, firing of guns, and shouts of " Long live the 
King of France ! " " Huzza for the American 
States ! " The General dined in public with his 
officers ; and, when he retired, there was much 
shouting and clapping of hands, which lasted until 
he had gone a quarter of a mile. The cabal might 
have had its influence ; Congress might often oppose 
him; but no one could doubt that the army loved 
him. 

Sir William Howe was recalled in May, and Sir 
Henry Clinton took the command in Philadelphia. 
There were soon signs that the army would leave 



152 GEORGE AV'ASIIINGTON. [l778. 

tlie city ; and tlicn to know where tliey could be 
going Avas as puzzling as it had been the last year. 
It was rumored that they intended to attack Wash- 
ington before their departure : and he kept his army 
constantly ready to move ; at the same time sending 
a warning letter to Gen. Gates, who commanded on 
the Hudson. 

Some of the British were shipped off to attack the 
French possessions in the West Indies and Florida, 
and some sailed for New York ; and, on tlie 18th of 
June, Sir Henry Clinton, with the remainder, left 
Pliiladelphia very quietly, and began to march 
through New Jersey. Gen. Washington followed 
him, much disposed to make an attack, although sev- 
eral of his officers did not agree with him. Gen. 
Lee, who had been exchanged after a long captivity, 
and had joined the army, strongly urged letting the 
enemy go without even annoying them. Both armies 
marched very slowly, on account of heavy rains and 
sultry heat ; but, at last, AYashington decided that an 
attack should be made on the enemy's rear. For 
this purpose, he sent forward a body of men under 
Lafayette ; but, as it was a large division. Gen. Lee 
asked, and obtained permission, to join it. His 
rank was higher than Lafayette's, so that he took 



AGE 46.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 153 

command. The Commander-in-chief, with the 
main body of the army, was only about three 
miles off. 

On the morning of the 28th of June, Gen. Lee 
attacked the enemy after they had marched out of 
the town of Monmouth. He sent a message to 
Washington, who immediately brought forward the 
whole army ; and was in Monmouth giving direc- 
tions, when he saw Continental troops retreating. 
He was exceedingly provoked ; for he had heard 
A^ery little firing ; and nothing could make greater 
confusion than to have all the advanced troops fall- 
ing back while the others were coming up. He 
asked the officers why they were retreating : but 
they " did not know " ; " it was by Gen. Lee's 
orders." What could be Lee's reasons ? When he 
met the retreating general, he a'sked, in the sternest 
and even fiercest tone, " What is the meaning of all 
this, sir ? " Lafayette reports that even Gen. Lee 
was disconcerted, and hesitated ; for Washington's 
face Avas terrible. Lee excused himself by saying 
that he had not been prepared to meet the whole 
British army ; but Washington was not satisfied. 
There was, however, no time to talk. The Com- 
mander-in-chief arranged the army quickly and 



15-4 GEORGE AVASHINGTOX. [l77S. 

skilfully before the enemy appeared, and the battle 
was successful on the part of the Americans. It 
had not terminated at dusk, though the soldiers were 
much exhausted by the heat of the Aveather. Gen. 
Washington wrapped himself in his cloak, and lay 
down at the foot of a tree, talking with Lafayette 
about Gen. Lee's strange behavior. After the 
beginning of the battle, Lee had shown his usual 
coolness and courage, and no one could account for 
the retreat. 

The next morning, the Americans were ready to 
renew the combat ; but the British had decamped 
durinfy the niiiht. Washimrton thouo;ht it unwise to 
attempt to pursue them, as the weather was exces- 
sively hot, and the march must be through a very 
dry, sandy country. The next point of importance 
was to be near the city of New York, in order to 
watch the fleet, and the motions of the army. 
Washington encamped for a little Avhile at Paramus 
in New Jersey. 

Gen. Lee was tried by a military court for his 
behavior at Monmouth. lie defended himself better 
than was expected ; but the court ordered him to be 
deprived of his command for one year. At the end 
of that time, he ollended Congress by a very hasty, 



AGE 4G.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 155 

disrespectful note, and never returned to the army. 
Both before and after his trial, he did himself much 
harm bj his abuse of Gen. Washington, who treated 
him very differently ; never mentioning his name 
when it could be avoided, and, when he did, always 
acknowledging his " many great qualities." 

On the 8th of July, a French fleet arrived, and 
anchored at the mouth of the Delaware. The com- 
mander. Count d'Estaing, immediately wrote to 
Gen. Washington in the most polite and cordial 
manner. Plans were arranged for a great naval 
battle, to take place in New York Harbor between 
the fleets, while the Americans prepared for an 
attack on the city immediately after it. All was 
expectation and hope on the part of the French and 
Americans, and the British and Tories were ex- 
ceedingly active in measures of defence. But the 
stir and bustle resulted in nothing ; for the French 
ships were too large to enter New York Harbor. 
The pilots refused to take them in. 

A project was then formed for an attack on Rhode 
Island, where the enemy had stores. Gen. Sullivan 
commanded at Providence, and the JMarquis de La- 
fayette and Gen. Greene were sent with some troops 
to his assistance. The French fleet sailed into New- 
port Harbor, and Lord Howe followed. 



156 GEOUGE WASHINGTON. [l778. 

The American forces advanced successfully near 
the town. The fleets stood out to sea for tlie pur- 
pose of fighting ; but a furious storm dispersed and 
damaged them. Lord Howe went back to New 
York to refit, and the French admiral thought it his 
duty to go to Boston for the same reason. The 
generals on land were greatly disappointed, and all 
urged him to remain. He was not to be persuaded, 
however ; and it became their duty to leave the 
island as quickly as possible. This was successfully 
done ; and the expedition to Newport ended without 
loss, though with much disappointment. A good 
deal of irritation and jealousy sprung up between 
the officers who were engaged in this unlucky affair, 
and Gen. Washington was obliged to act constantly 
as peacemaker. 

No more battles took place during this campaign. 
The British fleet sometimes perplexed Washington by 
its movements in the harbor ; but the object always 
proved to be a plundering expedition. The men 
landed before some flourishing town, burnt houses 
and shops, and carried off property ; or perhaps they 
went into the country, and stole forage and provis- 
ions from the farmers. If in these expeditions they 
surprised any American troops, they would surround 



AaE 46.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 157 

them by night, and put them to death, instead of 
making them prisoners. Such cruel injuries to 
peaceful people roused far more spirit of revenge 
and retaHation than open war. The worst j)art of 
tliem was, tliat tliey were almost always led or 
accompanied by Tories of the neighborhood ; so that 
any old grudge might be the cause of a man's house 
being stripped of all its contents, or of his farm 
or workshop being utterly ruined. The pretence 
always was, that the sufferers were active in the 
American cause, and " proper objects of vengeance." 

In November, a part of the British fleet set sail 
for an attack on the island of St. Lucia, belonging 
to the French. Another division carried troops to 
Georgia. 

In December, Gen. Washington established the 
army for the winter. His own head-quarters were 
at Middlebrook in New Jersey, and the line 
stretched as far as Danbury in Connecticut. It 
was important to be near the Hudson. 

The Marquis de Lafayette, much to Washington's 
regret, returned to France. He had won for him- 
self a high place in the affections of the Commander- 
in-chief, and there were but few persons so entirely 
trusted. 



158 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [1778. j 

I 

Lafayette was now expecting a war in Europe, ) 
and every one perceived that the character of the 
contest in America was greatly changed. France 
was a formidable enemy to Great Britain. P)o:h 
powers had distant colonies and islands, that might 
be attacked to advantage ; and any such scheme 
would interfere with sending troops to America. 
The Marquis was quite eager for a grand plan of an 
invasion of Canada the next year, with the combined 
forces of France and the United States. Congress 
asked Gen. Washington's advice ; and he, after 
collecting as much information as possible, did not 
approve of the project. Such a campaign must be 
immensely expensive in men and money, and would 
lay the country under too great obligations to 
France. 

"Washington was now extremely anxious for the 
general state of the nation. He saw plainly that 
Congress was not composed of men of the same 
character as at the beginning of the war. He 
dreaded the effects of selfishness and party-spirit. 
In one letter he says : " It is also most devoutly to 
be Avi-shed that faction was at an end, and that those 
to whom everything dear and valuable is intrusted 
would lay aside party views, and return to first prin- 



AGE 46.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 159 

ciples. Happy, thrice happy country, if such were 
the government of it ! But, alas ! we are not to 
expect that the path is to be strewed with jflowers. 
That great and good Being who rules the universe 
has disposed matters otherwise, and for wise pur- 
poses, I am persuaded." Nothing could exceed his 
anxiety that the best men of every State should be 
sent to Congress, instead of occupying themselves 
with their private alFairs, or with the concerns of 
their own State. To his former secretary he wrote : 
" By a faithful laborer in the cause, by one who 
wishes the prosperity of America most devoutly, but 
sees it, or thinks he sees it, on the brink of ruin, 
you are besought most earnestly, my dear Col. Har- 
rison, to exert yourself in endeavoring to rescue 
your country by sending your best and ablest men to 
Congress. These characters must not slumber nor 
sleep at home in such a time of pressing danger. 
I confess to you that I feel more real dis- 
tress, on account of the present appearances of 
tilings, than I have done at any one time since the 
commencement of the dispute. But it is time to bid 
you adieu. Providence has heretofore taken us up, 
when all other means and hope seemed to be depart- 
ing from us. In this I will confide.'* 



IGO GEOKGE WASHI^■GTON. [l779. 

The money matters of the United States were in a 
sad condition : it was very difficult to get gold and 
silver. Gen. Washington, therefore, proposed as 
little as possible for the next campaign. He 
thought it best, unless the enemy's force should 
be very much increased, for the Americans merely 
to defend themselves ; to keep together a small 
army, and give the country a breathing space ; to 
let the farmers get in their crops ; and, by econ- 
omy, to arrange matters better in all depart- 
ments. 

One expedition, however, he recommended ; and 
it was undertaken early in the spring. Tliis was 
against the Indians in the southern part of New 
York, and near the Susquehanna River. In the 
autumn before, one of the Avorst, most cruel ravaging 
parties of Tories had come from Niagara, and, join- 
ing with the Indians, had laid waste the Valley of 
Wyoming. Gen. Washington knew, from his expe- 
rience twenty years before, that it was of no use to 
act on the defensive with Indians. He therefore 
sent men from the army for this service, and they 
were promptly joined by the militia. Under Gen. 
Sullivan's command, they defeated the savages, and 
destroyed dwellings f^nd corn-fields. 



AGE 47.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 161 

The British plan for the summer proved to be 
the same as in the autumn before. No new troops 
arrived; no battles were to be fought: but the 
peaceful country was plundered, and thriving towns 
were burnt to ashes. This system was not at all 
agreeable to Sir Henry Clinton, but was pursued 
in obedience to orders from England. 

It was impossible for Gen. Washington to pre- 
vent these disasters. His army was so small, that 
he dared not retreat far from New York ; and the 
enemy's ships enabled them to move in any direc- 
tion, accomplish their work of ruin, and return be- 
fore he ^ould even meet them by marching. The 
militia of the towns were obliged to do their best 
without the aid of regulars ; and nothing tended so 
much to embitter the feeling of the nation against 
England as these cruel maraudings. 

In May, Sir Henry Clinton himself led an expe- 
dition up the Hudson, and gained possession of 
Stony Point, and Verplanck's Point opposite to it. 
These two forts were very important to the Ameri- 
cans, because they protected King's Ferry, — the 
place where the army had so often crossed, and 
now the only communication between the New 
England States and the others. Sir Henry hoped 
il 



162 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l779. 

to advance from these two posts to West Point, "the 
guardian fortress of the river"; but Washington's 
vigilance prevented that. He stationed his army 
in the neighborhood, and employed the men daily 
on the works. He could not, however, be quite 
content to be inactive all summer ; so in July, while 
a large number of the enemy were engaged in plun- 
dering the patriotic State of Connecticut, he planned 
an attempt to regain Stony Point. He offered the 
command of the surprise party to Gen. Wayne, who 
was nicknamed "Mad Anthony" from his desper- 
ately brave fighting. 

The works were very carefully reconnottred, and 
the attack was made a little after midnight on the 
15th of July. The troops marched a distance of 
fourteen miles ; but so many precautions had been 
taken, that no alarm was given. Not a dog barked 
near the fort; for they had all been privately de- 
stroyed. The Americans made the attack in two 
columns. In front of each came twenty men, — 
" the forlorn hope," as it is called. Their duty is to 
clear the way for the fighters. Gen. Wayne, just 
at the entrance of the fort, received a blow on the 
head. Thinking it was a death-wound, " Carry me 
into the fort," said he, " and let me die at the head 



AGE 47.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 163 

of my column." He soon recovered, and, instead of 
dying at the head of his column, had the pleasure 
of meeting in the centre of the works the head of 
the othe7\ 

This victory was nobly won. The Americans 
dashed on with the bayonet, and met with a fierce 
resistance, as was shown by the number of killed 
and wounded in their forlorn hope ; but they spared 
their conquered foe, and none were killed after the 
combat. Their mercy did honor to both officers 
and men: for it is not always easy to prevent 
slaughter in the excitement and confusion of such 
a night attack ; and Wayne's men had special mo- 
tives for revenge, on account of the death of their 
comrades two years before. 

It had been a part of Washington's plan to attack 
also Fort Lafayette, on Yerplanck's Point; but, 
in consequence of a mistake in carrying Gen. 
Wayne's letter, the division intended for this part 
of the work arrived too late. 

When Gen. Washington examined Stony Point, 
he found that he had not men enough to defend 
it against the enemy, and finish the fortifications. 
He therefore determined to destroy the works. 
This may seem like giving up all the benefits of 



164 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l779. 

the victory. But it was not so : there was an ef- 
fect on the minds of the army and the nation from 
every such exploit. And, as you have seen before, 
the General and the soldiers of the Revolution had 
often to be satisfied with a victory that just failed 
to do what they had hoped it would, and to lose 
advantages that a few more men or a little more 
money would have secured. 

Sir Henry Clinton retook Stony Point, and forti- 
fied it again, so that this post changed hands three 
times in one summer. He also attempted to draw 
Washington into an action, but did not succeed. 

The American head-quarters were now at West 
Point, and the works progressed rapidly. In a let- 
ter written on the 1st of August, Gen. Washington 
speaks thus of his own ignorance of the national 
affairs: "I shall be happy in such communications 
as your leisure and other considerations will per- 
mit you to transmit to me ; for I am as totally un- 
acquainted with the political state of things, and 
what is going forward in the great national council, 
as if I was an alien ; * when a competent knowledge 
of the temper and designs of our allies from time to 

* A person born in a foreign country. 



AGE 47.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 165 

time, and the frequent changes and complexion of 
affairs in Europe, might, as they ought to do, have 
a considerable influence on the operations of our 
army, and would in many cases determine the pro- 
priety of measures, which, under a cloud of dark- 
ness, can only be groped at." It seems strange that 
Congress should not have had more intercourse 
with the Commander-in-chief; but, in fact, there 
was probably not much to tell. The chief event of 
the war seems to have been the success of the 
French fleet in the West Indies ; and, though this 
may appear to have been a very useless campaign to 
the Americans, it must be remembered, that, at the 
same time, the British were gaining nothing at all ; 
and it was far more expensive to England to main- 
tain men in a foreign country, than it could be to 
the United States to keep together their little army. 
The style of living at head-quarters has often 
been spoken of as very plain indeed. Here is an 
account of it from Gen. "Washington's own pen : — 

''West Point, Aug. 16, 1779. 
" To Dr. John Cochran : — 

"Dear Doctor, — I have asked Mrs. Cochran 
and Mrs. Livingston to dine with me to-morrow; 



166 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l779. 

but am I not bound in honor to apprise them of 
their fare? As I hate deception, even where the 
imagination only is concerned, I wilh It is needless 
to premise that my table is large enough to hold the 
ladies. Of this they had ocular proof yesterday. 
To say how it is usually covered is more essential ; 
and this shall be the purport of my letter. 

" Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have 
had a ham, sometimes a shoulder of bacon, to grace 
the head of the table. A piece of roast beef adorns 
the foot ; and a dish of beans or greens, almost 
imperceptible, decorates the centre. AYlien the cook 
has a mind to cut a figure, — which, I presume, will 
be the case to-morrow, — we have two beefsteak- 
pies or dishes of crabs in addition, one on each side 
of the centre dish, dividing the space, and reducing 
the distance between dish and dish to about six feet, 
which, without them, would be near twelve feet 
apart. Of late, he has had the surprising sagacity 
to discover that apples will make pies ; and it is a 
question, if, in the violence of his efforts, we do not 
get one of apples instead of having both of beef- 
steaks. If the ladies can put up with such enter- 
tainment, and will submit to partake of it on plates 
once tin, but now iron (not become so by the labor 



AGE 47.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 167 

of scouring), I shall be happy to see them; and am, 
dear Doctor, yours, &c." 

No doubt those ladies were pleased and proud to 
dine at head-quarters; but they did not, could not, 
know how such a distinction would be valued in 
after-times. 

It is a great blessing to feel such perfect respect 
and affection as Washington inspired in those who 
knew him. Most great men, as you will find in 
reading history, have their great faults, which their 
admirers shut their eyes to as well as they can, 
and excuse on account of their great talents or great 
virtues. But think over Washington's life from the 
time he began his surveying expeditions, and what 
great fault can you name ? No doubt he had a high 
temper; but how very few times he lost command 
of it! and there is far more virtue in having a 
high temper, and controlling it, than in being good- 
natured without effort. And how patient he was 
with other people's mistakes and faults ; how consid- 
erate always for his soldiers ; how affectionate 
to his young friends ; how modest, how self-denying, 
as to military glory ; and, above all, how truly he 
loved his country ! For her sake, for our sahes, he 



168 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l779. 

gave up his home, and endured labor and hardship 
cheerfully. In the letter just quoted, he makes light 
of his discomforts ; but how many of us would like 
to dine in that way, if we were in the habit of faring 
much better at home ? And you may be very sure 
that the table at Mount Vernon was always well- 
arranged; for Mrs. Washington was an excellent 
housekeeper. No matter what company the Com- 
mander-in-chief might have to entertain : if the 
President of Congress came to dine with him, or 
half a dozen French counts fresh from all the luxu- 
ries of Paris, there was nothing better to set before 
them ; and in the winter-quarters, during the times 
of scarcity, probably nothing half so good. 

People were also much more ceremonious in 
manners and dress than they are at the present time. 
Gentlemen wore their hair powdered ; ruffled shirts ; 
and long silk stockings, drawn smoothly up to the 
knee. Can you imagine officers in camp having 
their hair nicely powdered before they went out to 
drill their men or to fight a battle? And though, 
of course, in actual war, when men are fighting and 
marching, they have no time to think of trifles, 
during the long months of encampment and inactiv- 
ity most people would have been annoyed and vexed 
by little every-day privations. 



AGE 47.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 169 

The only other enterprise of this year was a 
successful attack on a fort at Paulus Hook, opposite 
New York, planned and accomplished by Major 
Henry Lee,* of Virginia, — a brave officer, and 
rather a favorite with the Commander-in-chief. It 
is supposed that his mother was the "lowland 
beauty" of Washington's boyish admiration. The 
taking of the fort was a surprise, somewhat in the 
style of Gen. Wayne's storming of Stony Point, and 
equally daring. 

The motions of the French fleet were the subject 
of greatest interest to both armies during the sum- 
mer and autumn. Gen. Washington hoped it would 
come to New York, and prepared himself for 
making an attack by land. Sir Henry Clinton 
also expected a combination against him. But, 
after the defeat of the French and Americans at 
Savannah, Count d'Estaing left the coast of the 
United States. Still, the mere uncertainty had been 
useful to the Americans, as it had prevented Sir 
Henry from sending detachments to the Southern 
States. 

Gen. Washington's fortification of West Point 

* Called " Lighthorse Harry," from the troop he commanded. 



170 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

had restrained the British from making any attempt 
upon it; so that they could not boast of having 
gained anything in the campaign of 1778. 

The news that the French fleet had sailed reached 
Washington late in November, and, giving up all 
thoughts of action, he put his army into winter- 
quarters at Morristown and in the Highlands. 

Sir Henry Clinton seems to have doubted wdiether 
the French were really off the coast ; for he did not 
go to the South until December. When he began 
his preparations, Washington detached all the South- 
ern troops he could possibly spare, for the protection 
of their own homes. 

Morristown Avas destined to be again a place of 
great suffering to the American army. The winter 
was a very severe one, and there was a great scar- 
city. In one of his letters, Washington says : " We 
have never experienced a like extremity at any pe- 
riod of the war"; and on the 8th of January, 1780, 
he adds : " For a fortnight past, the troops, both 
officers and men, have been almost perishing w^ith 
want; yet they have borne their sufferings with a 
patience that merits the approbation, and ought to 
excite the sympathies, of their countrymen." He 
was obliged to ask the State of New Jersey to fur- 



AGE 47.] GEORGE AVASHINGTON. 171 

nish the supplies which it was impossible to pur- 
chase.* And the State answered with spirit. The 
farmers brought to camp both provisions and clothes, 
and " the women met together to knit and sew for 
the soldiery." Mrs. Washington set them a good 
example : it is said that, while she was at camp, she 
was always knitting stockings. 

As the cold increased, New York Harbor was 
frozen over, and there would have been a fine op- 
portunity to attack the enemy, — so fine, that Gen. 
Knyphausen, who was left in command there, pre- 
pared himself. But the American army was in too 
wretched a state to undertake anything of impor- 
tance. A little expedition against Staten Island 
failed. The enemy sent out two or three plunder- 
ing parties, M^hich destroyed private property as 
usual, and took the farmers prisoners. The neigh- 
borhood of New York suffered more than any other 
part of the country during the war, and the people 
became rough and warlike. 

The most unpleasant duty Gen. Washington had 
to perform this winter, was the examination of a 
complaint brought by the government of Pennsyl- 

* The farmers received certificates promising future payment. 



172 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

vania against Gen. Benedict Arnold, who had been 
stationed at Philadelphia since the British left it in 
1778. He had doubtless been extravagant and 
domineering; but, after a very long and tedious 
inquiry, Washington's sympathies appear to have 
been more with him than with the Pennsylvanians. 
A reprimand was ordered by a court-martial * to be 
delivered by the Commander-in-chief, and Wash- 
ington expressed it in the gentlest words that could 
be used on such an occasion. 

Spring brought little relief either to the army or 
to the General. Pro\isions and money continued 
to be terribly scarce. Washington was extremely 
anxious for the fate of the army opposed to Sir 
Henry Clinton in South Carolina. He would glad- 
ly have gone there himself, but felt that he could 
not leave the North. He sent thither the Mary- 
land troops and a regiment of artillery, under Baron 
de Kalb. To this excellent officer he wrote on the 
2d of April: "The prospect, my dear Baron, is 
gloomy, and the storm threatens ; but I hope Ave 
shall extricate ourselves, and bring everything to 

* A court made up of officers, instead of lawyers, judge, and 
jury. 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 173 

a prosperous issue. I have been so inured to dif- 
ficulties in the course of this contest, that I have 
learned to look upon them with more tranciuillily 
than formerly. Those which now present them- 
selves no doubt require vigorous exertions to over- 
come them, and I am far from desjpairing of doing 
it" In addition to all the known troubles, Wash- 
ington had lately been told that the cabal was at 
work again ; but he was never disposed to make 
himself unhappy by suspicion. 

The distress and discontent of the army induced 
Gen. Washington to write, as before, a letter to 
Congress describing their situation; and, as before, 
a committee was appointed, who, on arriving at 
camp, found that the account was not exaggerated. 
There had been no pay for five months ; and there 
were seldom provisions for six days in advance. 
Sometimes the men had been, for several days in 
succession, without meat. Tliere was little proper 
food for the sick in the hospital-stores, and there 
was no forage for the horses. The ollicers fared 
about as ill as the men ; and it is said that many 
of them lived for some time on bread and cheese, 
"rather than take any of the scanty allowance of 
meat from the men." Gen. Schuyler — Washing- 



174 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

ton's good friend, now a member of Congress — 
was one of the committee. 

Another warmly attached friend was soon to ar- 
rive in camp. The Marquis de Lafayette returned 
to this country in April, 1780. It is said that 
Washington's eyes filled with tears as he read the 
letter announcing his arrival at Boston. He brought 
the good news that another French fleet was on its 
way, and that soldiers would arrive in it. The 
Marquis hurried on to Philadelphia to offer his ser- 
vices again to Congress. While he was there, Wash- 
ington, in one of his letters, says : " Finish your 
business as soon as you can, and hasten home ; for 
so I would always have you consider head-quarters 
and my house." 

In May of this year, a mutiny broke out among 
the soldiers in consequence of their privations ; and 
Gen. Washington, besides writing to Congress, sent 
a long letter to President Reed, calling on the State 
of Pennsylvania for flour. He urged that great 
efforts had been made by France, and that our own 
ought to be equally great; that to "confess to our 
allies that we look wholly to them for our safety," 
would be "a state of humihation and littleness 
against which the feelings of every good American 
ou^ht to revolt." 



AGE 4S.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 175 

His anxiety about the general condition of the 
country was at this time very great. He saw that 
the nation relied too much on France, and that Con- 
gress was divided into parties. He wrote to a 
member : " I see one head gradually changing into 
thirteen; I see one army branching into thirteen, 
which, instead of looking up to Congress as the su- 
preme controlling power of the United States, are 
considering themselves dependent on their respective 
States." 

At this time came news of the disastrous loss of 
Charleston, South Carolina, soon followed by the 
return of Sir Henry Clinton. 

The enemy made two expeditions into New Jer- 
sey in the course of the spring ; partly, it seemed, 
for plunder, and partly to tempt Gen. Washington to 
an engagement. But the army was in no condition 
for a regular battle, and Washington contented him- 
self with defences and skirmishes. The New Jersey 
militia were by this time so trained to warfare, that 
they were readily assembled by signals. They saw 
with pride and pleasure the enemy moving off from 
before the heights of Morristown ; and the people 
of Morris County still boast that the British " were 
never able to get a footing among our hills." These 



176 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

excursions of the enemy gave the Commander-in- 
chief some concern for the safety of West Point ; but 
his energy was principally employed in getting the 
army into a state of readiness to act with the French 
when they should arrive. 

The fleet appeared at Newport on the 10th of 
July ; and the commander of the land forces, Count 
de Rochambeau, immediately wrote to Gen. Wash- 
ington in the most polite and friendly terms. The 
Marquis de Lafayette was despatched to Newport 
to explain the intentions and wishes of the Com- 
mander-in-cliief. As before, he proposed a com- 
bined attack on New York ; to which the admiral 
agreed, whenever his force should be superior to the 
British. At this time, it was not so ; and he there- 
fore desired to wait until a second division of the 
French fleet should follow him. 

In the mean time, Sir Henry Clinton embarked at 
New York for an attack on the French encampment 
at Newport. Gen. Washington thought he should 
best assist his allies by drawing near to New York, 
as if to strike a blow in Sir Henry's absence ; and 
this move of his probably recalled the British com- 
mander. He came back, leaving the men-of-war to 
blockade the French fleet in Newport Harbor. 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 177 

The New-England militia had been called out in 
anticipation of this attack, and both officers and men 
mingled with the French in a very pleasant way. 
The young French officers — many of them, like 
Lafayette, of high rank — came out to this country 
full of enthusiasm. They were probably much dis- 
appointed at the weakness of the army and the great 
scarcity of money, and they must have found the 
manner of living surprisingly simple ; but they were 
always gay and polite, and made themselves friends 
among the people of Newport, and all the American 
officers who had anything to do with them. Gen. 
Washington took the greatest pains to keep up this 
friendly spirit between the two armies. He recom- 
mended wearing a mixed cockade of black and 
white, in compliment to the French, who usually 
wore white ones, while the Americans had hitherto 
worn black ones. 

In the month of August, all Washington's hopes 
and plans were put in peril by a change in the mode 
of supplying the army. Congress had ordered a 
new system to be adopted, under which Gen. 
Greene, the quartermaster-general,* declared that it 

* The quartermaster-general marks out the land for an en- 
12 



178 GEOKGE WASIIINGTOX. [l780. 

was impossible for liim to do the work. He there- 
fore resigned his office. Congress was extremely 
angry with him for doing this at such a time ; and 
Washington, as usual, acted as mediator. He also 
addressed a long letter to the President of Congress, 
representing the feeble state of the army, and point- 
ing out the measures of relief. He was almost dis- 
couraged by the want of public sj^irit, as may be 
seen by the following passage : " If either the 
temper or the resources of the country will not 
admit of an alteration, we may expect soon to be 
reduced to the humiliating condition of seeing the 
cause of America, in America, upheld by foreign 
arms. The generosity of our allies has a claim to 
all our confidence, and all our gratitude ; but it is 
neither for the honor of America, nor for the interest 
of the common cause, to leave the work entirely to 
them." 

Early in September came the melancholy doings 
of the defeat of Gen. Gates at Camden, North Caro- 
lina ; but, before the close of this month, the blackest 
event of the war — the treason of Gen. Arnold — 
cast its terrible gloom over Washington, and every 

campment, collects provisions, and receives orders from the gen- 
eral. 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 170 

patriot throughout the nation. Gen. Arnold, you 
remember, had got into trouble with the State of 
Pennsylvania. Since that time, he had been restless 
and discontented, complaining of the ingratitude of 
his country, and always greedy for money. His 
extravagant habits kept him constantly in want. 
This craving for money, joined with resentment 
against the United States, seems to have been the 
motive that led him to correspond with Sir Henry 
Clinton under an assumed name. Occasionally, to 
prove his sincerity, he gave information of the 
motions of the American army. Doubtless his 
request to be allowed to command at West Point 
during the summer of 1780 was with the intention of 
betraying it to the enemy. The plan was, that he 
should furnish the enemy with correct drawings of 
the works ; and that, whenever they should make 
the attack, he should surrender the fortress with but 
slight resistance. The correspondence was managed 
by Major John Andre, — a gallant officer, and a 
man of talent and most agreeable temper. 

Though many letters had passed between them, 
the precise sum for which Arnold was to sell his 
trust had not been fixed, when, on the 21st of Sep- 
tember, Major Andre came up the river to see him. 



180 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

They met at night in a lonely spot ; but, not being 
able to agree exactly, Arnold persuaded Andre to go 
to a neighboring house. Without letting Andre 
know it, he took him within the American lines, 
where no British officer could be safe. Major 
Andre was very uneasy there, and set out on his 
return to New York as soon as possible. He con- 
cealed the plans of West Point between his stock- 
ings and his feet. He was on horseback ; and, after 
many difficulties and delays, he got out of the Amer- 
ican lines, and was riding along on the neiUral 
ground, when he was stopped by three men, whom 
he supposed to be Tories. They were really Whigs. 
They asked him questions ; they examined his 
papers ; and one of them plainly saw that he was a 
spy. They took him to the nearest officer, Lieut.- 
Col. Jameson, who recognized Arnold's handwriting, 
and sent the papers by exjiress to Gen. Washington. 
Then, very stupidly, he sent a letter also to Arnold, 
telling him what he had done. 

Gen. Washington was returning from Hartford, 
where he had met the French officers, who were full 
of enthusiasm for him. The people of Connecticut, 
too, gave him a most cordial welcome. Arriving at 
a town by night, young and old poured out in 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 181 

crowds, by torchlight, eager to see him. Washing- 
ton, much moved, said to Count Dumas, the aid of 
the French General ; " We may be beaten by the 
English, — it is the chance of war ; but there is the 
array they will never conquer ! " 

It was the General's intention to breakfast at Ar- 
nold's house on the morning of September 24th ; but, 
being delayed by a little business, he sent forward 
his aids with an apology to Mrs. Arnold. They sat 
down without him; and, while at table, Arnold 
received the letter from Col. Jameson. He saw at 
once that he should be detected, called his wife 
out of the room, and told her he was ruined, and 
must fly for his life ! He said to his guests, that 
he must go immediately to West Point to receive 
the Commander-in-chief. He galloped to the river, 
threw himself into his barge, and reached the Brit- 
ish ship " Vulture " in the afternoon. 

At dinner-time. Gen. Washington received the let- 
ter sent to him by express. After spending a few 
minutes alone with Col. Hamilton, he showed the 
papers to Lafayette and Gen. Knox. " Whom can 
we trust now ? " were the only words he said. 

His first idea was to arrest the traitor ; but it was, 
unhappily, too late ; his next, to secure West Point. 



182 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

The danger was frightful. He could not tell who 
among the enemy might possess copies of Arnold's 
drawings, nor how far their plans might be advanced. 
Perhaps there would be an attack that very night. 
Nor could he know how many Americans were 
engaged in the plot. He ordered in the troops as 
fast as possible, and sent special directions to have 
Major Andre well secured. But, in the midst of all 
his business and anxiety, he remembered poor Mrs. 
Arnold, innocent and most wretched. No one could 
comfort her in such distress as hers ; but Washing- 
ton showed her every kindness. 

The next painful event that followed was the trial 
of Andre. A board of fourteen general officers, and 
their president. Gen. Greene, decided that he was 
a spy, and, having been taken prisoner, must suffer 
death. The greatest interest was felt in his situation 
by both armies. He was very popular with his own 
countrymen ; and Sir Henry Clinton was much 
attached to liim, and wrote two letters to AVashing- 
ton, urging a favorable view of his case. All the 
American officers who had the charge of him were 
very warmly interested by his frankness, his modes- 
ty, his cheerfulness, and his charming conversation. 
He was universally pitied, and Washington would 



AGE 43.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 183 

hardly have been blamed had he interfered to save 
his life. But he thought it his duty not to do so. 
By the laws of war, spies are always executed. 
Every military man knows this ; and when Andre 
undertook to treat with Gen. Arnold he was perfect- 
ly aware of the risk he was running. 

"Washington was strictly upright ; and, to his mind, 
there was something most repulsive in the idea of 
offering money to a brave man like Arnold, to 
induce him to betray his trust. He was not, there- 
fore, inclined to treat Major Andre, whom he never 
saw, with more favor than he would have shown to 
any other spy.* He was sure that the trial had 
been a fair and full one. The sentence was execut- 
ed. Andre uttered no complaints ; always behaved 
with manliness and perfect composure; and wrote 
in one of his letters, " I receive the greatest atten- 
tions from his Excellency, Gen. Washington, and 
from every person under whose charge I happen to 
be placed." 

Arnold added, if that were possible, to the infamy 
of his conduct, by the insolent letters he wrote at 



* It is believed that Washington would have been thankful to 
have exchanged Andre for Arnold. 



184 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

this time to Gen. Washington. In spite of the 
failure of his plot, he received a considerable sum 
of money, and the rank of brigadier-general in the 
British army ; but he was despised as a traitor by 
all honorable men in both countries. 

In consequence of the ill success of Gen. Gates 
at the South, Congress requested Washington to 
select another officer for that important command. 
He gave it with pleasure to his friend. Gen. Greene, 
in whom he had the greatest confidence. 

The usual gloomy prospects of the army and the 
Commander-in-chief in autumn were a little bright- 
ened this year by a resolution of Congress to engage 
soldiers, in future, for the war, and to give the officers 
half-pay at its end. The first of these measures 
Washington had urged for four years; the second, 
for more than two. He needed great patience, and 
he possessed it. 

At this time Lafayette was very anxious to ac- 
complish some brilliant stroke, that might be heard 
of in France. He persuaded Gen. Washington to 
agree to an attack on Fort Washington, at the 
northern end of Manhattan Island ; and perhaps, if 
all things were favorable, on New York itself. 

While this project was talked over, and careful 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 185 

examinations of the enemy's posts were made, 
another French officer, the Marquis de Chastellux, 
came to pay a visit at head-quarters. He appears 
to have been charmed with Washington's appear- 
ance, and his treatment of him. As he rode up, he 
observed Lafayette talking with an officer "tall of 
stature, with a mild and noble countenance.'' This 
was the Commander-in-chief, whose cordial welcome 
seems to have made ample amends for the small 
quarters for which he apologized. The Marquis 
praised Washington's fine ho^-ses, " trained by him- 
self," and his excellent riding. 

At the dinner-table, the next day, there were 
twenty guests ; and Washington talked somewhat 
about the war, but always, the Marquis observed, in 
such a modest way as showed he did it to please 
others, not himself. An aid sat at his side to carve 
the dishes; and, through him, the General some- 
times gave a toast. In the evening, there was a 
light supper. " It is customary ,'' writes the Marquis, 
" towards the end of supper, to call upon each one 
for a sentiment; that is to say, the name of some 
lady to whom he is attached by some sentiment 
either of love, friendship, or simple preference." 
No doubt, all the American officers exerted them- 



186 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l780. 

selves during this visit to make the camp agreeable 
to their French brothers-in-arms. It is one of the 
pleasantest things said of Washington, that lie al- 
ways enjoyed the company of yoimg men. Even 
when he was oppressed with care, some one of his 
young friends was constantly with him ; and, though 
he took little part in gay conversation, his smile 
showed that he enjoyed it. 

During the time that the Marquis de Chastellux 
was at head-quarters, news came that several Brit- 
ish ships had made their appearance in the Hudson. 
Lafayette's plan was therefore given up, and Wash- 
ington's arrangements appear to have been made m 
vain. His aid. Col. Humphreys, said : " The Com- 
mander-in-chief spent a whole campaign in ripening 

this project Never was a plan better 

arranged, and never did circumstances promise more 
sure or complete success." 

In a letter to Gen. Lincoln, Washington writes: 
" I do not mean to hasten your return to the army ; 
for that, alas! is upon the eve of its annual dissolu- 
tion ; consequently, of the enemy's advantage." 

The American army went into winter-quarters 
near New York and West Point. The French 
remained at Newport. 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 187 

Washington had been much pained by the inactiv- 
ity of this campaign. It was truly mortifying, that, 
after the arrival of the French land and sea forces, 
nothing had been done. He dreaded the sights of 
suffering which he expected at the winter-quarters ; 
and the letters he received from Gen. Greene gave 
disheartening accounts of the Southern army, which 
seemed to be even in a more wretched condition 
than the Northern one. The people of the Eastern 
and Middle States, thinking that the chief fighting 
now took place at the South, were slow to furnish 
supplies of either men, money, or provisions. The 
Tories were numerous in the Southern States, and 
the patriots had had no experience in carrying on 
the war in their own country. Congress, too, seemed 
to have no power to call into use the money of the 
nation, and in December, 1780, decided to do what 
Gen. Washington had several times recommended, 
— borrow money from France. Col. Laurens, one 
of the General's aids, was sent to Paris to obtain 
the loan; and the Commander-in-chief gave him 
instructions both in writing and in conversations. 
The French government lent the money, but re- 
quested that Washington should spend the portion 
intended for the army. 



188 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l781. 

New Year's Day, 1781, was marked by a most 
unhappy event. Six regiments of Pennsylvania 
troops mutinied at Morristown. After an atfray 
with their officers, they marched off to Philadelphia 
to demand what, with truth, they called their rights. 
Gen. Wayne, who commanded them, behaved with 
great coolness and judgment. He knew what they 
had borne. He wrote of them : " Poorly clothed, 
badly fed, and worse paid ; some of them not having 
received a paper dollar * for near twelve months ; 
exposed to v/inter's piercing cold, to drifting snows, 
and chilling blasts ; with no protection but old worn- 
out coats, tattered linen overalls, and but one blanket 
between three men ; — in this situation, the enemy 
began to work upon their passions, and had found 
means to circulate some proclamations among them." 
On their march. Gen. Wayne took care to supply 
them with provisions ; and these extraordinary mu- 
tineers did no harm to the country people, and kept 
order among themselves. Sir Henry Clinton sent 
spies among them to tempt them ; but they gave 
tliem up to Gen. Wayne, indignant at the thought of 



* A paper dollar was not then worth a quarter of a dollar in 
silver. 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 189 

"turning Atnolds." At Princeton, President Reed 
met them ; although several persons wai-ned him 
that he was running a great risk. " I have but one 
life to lose," said he, " and my country has the first 
claim to it." The end of the matter was, that most 
of the men were discharged with promise of pay- 
ment. 

The Commander-in-chief had been very anxious 
during all this time. His first impulse was to leave 
his quarters at New Windsor, on the Hudson, for 
Morristown ; but he reflected that he should arrive 
too late. He was entirely satisfied with Wayne's 
account of what he had done and proposed to do ; 
and he was not sure how the men on the Hudson 
would behave, should he leave them. Unhappily, 
the mutiny spread to the New Jersey soldiers. 
Towards them Gen. Washington adopted a severer 
course than the State of Pennsylvania had pursued, 
and the spirit of discontent made no further advances. 

Ai-nold was sent, at the end of December, 1780, 
to Virginia, in command of a plundering or maraud- 
ing expedition. Two colonels accompanied him, 
whom he was ordered to consult on every point. It 
was plain that Sir Henry Clinton dared not trust 
him. To oppose him, Wasliington sent, in Febru- 



190 GEORGE WASniNGTO::. [l78I. 

ary, 1781, a (detacliment under Lafayette, who, he 
hoped, M^ould be useful in uniting the American land 
forces with the French fleet. 

About this time, a coolness arose between the 
Commander-in-chief and his aid, Col. Hamilton, 
whom he so highly valued. Hamilton says himself, 
that one day, as he passed Gen. Washington on the 
stairs, the latter told him he wanted to speak to him. 
Hamilton answered that he would wait upon him 
immediately ; and went below, and delivered an im- 
portant letter. Returning to the General, he met La- 
fayette, who stopped him ; and they talked together 
" about a minute on a matter of business." At the 
head of the stairs he found Gen. Washington, who 
said to him, " Col. Hamilton, you have kept me 
waiting at the head of the stairs these ten minutes. 
I must tell you, sir, you treat me with disrespect." 
Hamilton replied, " I am not conscious of it, sir ; 
but, since you have thought it necessary to tell 
me so, we part." " Very well, sir," answered the 
General, " if it be your choice," or words to that 
effect. In less than an hour, Washington despatched 
another of his aids to Hamilton with a message, 
assuring him of his regard and confidence in him, 
and expressing a wish to see him, that they miglit 



AGE 48.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 191 

talk the matter over, and be good friends again. 
Hamilton declined the interview, and remained firm 
in his resolve not to serve as aide-de-camp again ; 
though he continued with the army, and offered to 
perform all the duties of his office until a substitute 
could be found. 

It seems rather haughty on his part to have 
refused such an offer of reconciliation from the Com- 
mander-in-chief, a friend so much older than himself. 
His immediately answering, too, "we part," after 
a single rebuke from Gen. Washington, does not 
sound as if he were a very patient young gentleman. 
Perhaps Washington was mistaken in saying that he 
had waited ten minutes (for time seems long to one 
.who waits, and sometimes very short to one who 
talks) ; but how often do people, in less than an 
houvy express themselves willing to pass over an 
offence ? In spite, however, of Hamilton's high 
spirit, Wasliington and he were always good friends 
in after life. 

About this time, Washington acknowledges assist- 
ance received from the ladies of Philadelphia for the 
army. They sent money and clothes. The Ameri- 
can women, all through the tedious war, were ^n- 
triotic, and always ready to give whatever they pos- 



192 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l781. 

sessed, whether it was the dinner they were cooking 
before the lire, or the money they had saved in 
those hard times. 

As spring came on, "Washington watched with 
intense interest the motions of the Southern armies. 
In the Carolinas, Gen. Greene had been repeating 
his own experiences in having to fight without 
means, and to animate his soldiers under cruel hard- 
ships. After describing to Washington the immense 
efforts he had made in retreating before Lord Corn- 
wallis, he adds (February 15th) : " The miserable 
condition of the troops for clothing has rendered the 
march the most painful imaginable, many hundreds 
of the soldiers tracking the ground with their bloody 
feet. Your feelings for the sufferings of the soldier, 
had you been with us, would have been severely 
tried." Gen. Greene took Washington for his 
model, and imitated him, not only in caution as to 
fighting, but in cheerfulness under reverses and dis- 
appointments. With his very small body of regulars 
and the uncertain militia, aided by the bold horse- 
men of the country, he succeeded in delaying and 
harassing Lord Cornwallis to such a degree, that the 
latter did not reach Virginia, where he was to join 
Gen. Phillips and Arnold, until the 20th of May. 



AGE 49.] GKOROK WASHINGTON. 193 

Greene turned to South Carolina to face Lord 
Rawdon. 

Lord Cornwallis, after he arrived in Virginia, 
carried on a most active campaign against the Mar- 
quis de Lafayette ; and, in one of his letters, said, 
" That boy cannot escape me." Lafayette, however, 
proved himself worthy of the trust Washington had 
given him. With gi'eat prudence, he forbore to 
make any attacks, and contented himself with main- 
taining his ground. Lord Cornwallis had a superior 
army, and the great advantage of numerous horse- 
men. Tiie stables of the Virginia gentlemen were 
full of fine horses, which they had neglected to 
remove out of the way of the British. The enemy, 
of course, took possession of them. 

In a letter to Gen. Washington, in July, the Mar- 
quis wrote, " I am anxious to know your opinion 

concerning the Virginia campaign So long 

as Lord Cornwallis wished for an action, not one 
gun was fired ; from the moment he declined it, we 
have been skirmishing ; but I took care not to com- 
mit the army." Washington's answer was, " Be 
assured, my dear Marquis, your conduct meets my 
warmest approbation, as it must that of everybody." 

In the course of the warfare, one small plundering 
13 



VJ4: GEORGE WASIIINGTOX. [l7Sl. 

vessel had threatened Mount Yernon ; and Gun. 
AYashington's agent, Lund Washington, saved the 
property, and probably prevented the lionse from 
being burnt, by giving the men refreshments. Gen. 
Washington had no doubt that this was done from 
the best motives ; but it was very painful to him to 
think that any person rejDresenting him should have 
had such intercourse with the enemy. His rebuke 
was a severe one ; but he began kindly with, " Dear 
Lund, I am very sorry to hear of your los^ ; I am a 
little sorry to hear of my own ; but that which gives 
me most concern is, that you should go on board the 
enemy's vessels, and furnish them with refreshments. 
It would have been a less painful circumstance to 
me to have heard, that, in consequence of your non- 
compliance with their request, they had burnt my 
house, and laid the plantation in ruins." 

Washington remained in his quarters at New 
Winsor through the spring, vainly endeavoring to 
collect a respectable army. Congress had voted him 
a large supply of troops for the cam'paign of 1781 ; 
but the men came in very slowly, and both money 
and clothes were scarce. It was mortifying to the 
Commander-in-chief that the French should, witness 
such painful deficiencies ; but when, in July, they 



AGE 49.J GEORGE WASHINGTON. 195 

marched from Newport to the neighborhood o£ the 
Hudson, they were received with the greatest cor- 
diality. 

In the course of the summer. Gen. Washington 
was much urged to goto Virginia himself; but he 
refused, saying that he was more useful by threaten- 
ing the city of New York, and preventing Lord Corn- 
wallis from receiving any assistance. 

A plan was arranged for an attack on the forts on 
the northern end of Manhattan Island ; but it was 
never made. The country was cleared, however, of 
some of the bands of Tories who had so long troubled 
it. Both armies prepared for the long-expected attack 
on the city by land and by sea ; but, in August, letters 
were received saying that Count de Grasse, the com- 
mander of the French fleet, could be in America but 
a short time, and would appear in Chesapeake Bay. 

Gen. Washington immediately changed his de- 
signs, and kept his intentions a profound secret even 
from his own army, lest Sir Henry should find out 
what he proposed to do. An encampment was 
marked out in New Jersey, fuel collected, and an 
oven built, as if to bake bread for the troops while 
they besieged New York. By such means. Sir 
Henry Clinton was entirely deceived, and did not 



196 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l781. 

send any aid to Lord Cornwallis until it was quite too 
late. When he was satisfied that Washington had 
really gone to Virginia, he despatched a plundering 
expedition into Connecticut, and gave the command 
of it to Arnold. The traitor consented to pillage 
his native State. 

Washington and the army were cordially wel- 
comed at Philadelphia ; and, when near Chester, 
they received the joyful news of the arrival of the 
fleet. Lafayette Avrote to express his delight at the 
prospect of seeing the Commander-in-chief at the 
head of the allies ; but the greatest pleasure Wash- 
ington experienced on the march was that of spend- 
ing two days at Mount Vernon, and entertaining the 
French generals there for a single night. He had 
been absent rather more than six years ; but neither 
cares, nor labor, nor honors, cooled his love for his 
country home. 

On his arrival at Yorktown, Virginia, Gen. Wash- 
ington found Lord Cornwallis so shut in by the 
French and American troops on land, and by the 
fleet on the sea-side, that retreat was out of the ques- 
tion. His Lordship could only retire within his for- 
tifications, which were about the town of York, and 
Gloucester Point, on the opposite side of the river. 



AGE 49.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 197 

The last fortnight in September was spent in col- 
lecting the troops, artillery, and various other things 
needed for a siege ; in arranging plans by the heads 
of the land and sea forces ; and in a little manoeu- 
vring of the two fleets. 

On the 9th of October, the siege of Yorktown was 
begun. " Gen. Washington put the match to the first 
gun. A furious discharge of cannon and mortars * 
immediately followed, and Earl Cornwallis received 
his first salutation." For several days, the allied 
armies continued to fire upon the town. By night 
and by day, the sound of the heavy guns was heard ; 
and the shells of the besieged and besiegers crossed 
each other in the air. The English ships were also 
much damaged. 

On the 14th of October, attacks were made on 
two redoubts by a party of French on one side, and 
of Americans, commanded by Lafayette, on the other. 
Eager to outdo each other, and full of courage, they 
rushed on so violently, that the British gave way 
before them. Washington, with many officers about 
him, was watching this assault with intense interest. 
Those who stood near him were afraid he would be 

* A mortar is a large gun of a peculiar kind. 



198 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l781. 

hit by a chance shot, and one of his aids ventured 
to say that the situation was very much exposed. 
" If you think so," repHed he gravely, " you are at 
hberty to step back." A Httle later, a musket-ball 
hit a cannon near the group, and fell at Washing- 
ton's feet. Gen. Knox grasped his arm. " My 
dear General," exclaimed he, " we can't spare you 
yet." — " It is a spent ball," * answered the Com- 
mander-in-chief quietly : "no harm is done." When 
the redoubts were taken, he drew a long breath, and 
said to Knox, " The work is done, and well done ! " 

The siege went on; and, on the 1 Gth of October, 
Lord Cornwallis found himself in so hopeless a state, 
that he made an unsuccessful attempt to escape. 
On the 17th, he proposed to surrender ; and, on the 
19tli, his army actually laid down their arms in the 
presence of the assembled forces of France and the 
United States. 

This victory caused the greatest joy to the whole 
nation. Congress appointed a day of thanksgiving, 
and voted thanks to all the generals and many other 
distinguished officers. The captured colors were 



* A ball that has goue as far as it can, and therefore spent its 
force. 




Washington in the trenches at Yorktown . 



AGE 49.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 199 

presented to Washington, and the guns to Counts 
Rochambeau and De Grasse. It was felt through- 
out the country, that a death-blow was given to the 
war, and the rejoicing of the people was even 
greater than that of the army. 

To Cornwallis the surrender was a bitter morti- 
fication, which he felt the more keenly when he 
learned that Sir Henry Clinton had sailed from 
New York with seven thousand troops on the very 
day that he was laying down his arms at Yorktown. 
Gen. Washington's management of this campaign, 
his long delay near New York, his judicious selec- 
tion of troops to serve with Lafayette, his secrecy, 
and his complete misleading of the enemy, were 
much admired both in Europe and America. In 
England, the news of the surrender of Yorktown 
was a gi-eat disappointment, and a fatal blow to 
those who wished to carry on the war. One story 
of a patriot at the siege of Yorktown deserves to be 
remembered. Gen. Nelson, of Virginia, who had 
raised troops, and supplied money at his own risk, 
was asked what part of the. town it would be best 
to fire upon. He pointed to a large, handsome 
house, which he thought was probably the enemy's 
head-quarters. It proved to be his own house. 



200 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. [l781. 

After this great success, Gen. Washington wished 
much to go directly on to South Carohna, and, with 
the assistance of the French fleet, to retake Charles- 
ton. But the Count de Grasse said that it was 
impossible for him to remain so long on the Ameri- 
can coast. "Washington was therefore obliged to 
content himself with sending two thousand troops 
to help Gen. Greene after his hard summer. At 
Yorktown he had received a letter from Greene 
announcing the partial victory at Eutaw Springs. 
The difficulties of the campaign in South Carolina 
had been great ; the British army had been large, 
active, and well commanded; and the inhabitants 
of the country were at first inclined to sympathize 
with them. Gen. Greene had often had militia, 
and his army was wretchedly supplied : on the other 
hand, he had had brave horsemen in abundance. 
His handful of Northern troops, and the officers 
who came with them, had supported him admirably ; 
and he himself had carried out the policy learned 
from "Washington, — of avoiding battles, and con- 
stantly watching and annoying the enemy. He had 
confined the British within narrow limits ; and, before 
he took command, they had overrun the whole State. 
His skill, and the courage of all under him, even 



AGE 49.] GKOIIGK WASHINGTON. 201 

the militia-men, gained them great honor in this 
year (1781). 

Washington was detained some weeks at York- 
town, while the troops were embarked for the Hud- 
son River, and the prisoners disposed of. On his 
way to Philadelphia, he stopped at Eltham, where 
Mr. Ciistis, the only son of Mrs. Washington, died 
immediately after his arrival. This event was a 
great grief to all the relations of Mr. Custis. He 
had been carefully educated by Washington, and 
his friends believed that he would distinguish him- 
self. It must have been truly painful to Gen. 
Washington to come home from his triumph to 
share the sorrow of the mother and widow of this 
young man, for whom he had always felt a warm 
aifection. To console Mrs. Washington, he adopted 
the two youngest children, — a boy and a girl, — 
who always lived in his house from this time. 

Lafayette returned to France in the autumn of 
this year, where Congress hoped his influence would 
still be useful to the cause of America. 

At Philadelphia, Washington used every means 
in his power to induce Congress to make vigorous 
preparations for the next campaign. He Avas afraid 
that the success in Virginia, and the brighter pros- 



202 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l782. 

pects at the South, would make the country too con- 
fident, and too indifferent about the next year. 

In May, 1782, Sir Guy Carleton arrived in New 
York to succeed Sir Henry CHnton, who liad asked 
to be recalled. There were no signs of carrying on 
the war; on the contrary, the new General used 
most peaceful language. But Washington still 
doubted tlie real intentions of the British govern- 
ment, and desired to be ready for the worst. 

He was much troubled at this time by a case of 
retahation which he felt bound to insist upon. In 
April, a Capt. Huddy of New Jersey had been ex- 
ecuted by a party of Tories, without any trial. His 
neighbors and the country generally declared that 
he was murdered ; and Gen. Washington wrote to 
Sir Henry Clinton, that, unless the officer who 
headed the party should be given up, he must se- 
lect a captain from among the British prisoners to 
suffer death in retaliation for the death of Capt. 
Huddy. This he did by the advice of a great many 
officers, and with the fuU approbation of Congress. 
Sir Henry Clinton sent back unsatisfactory answers, 
and finally refused to give up the officer. Then 
Washington unwillingly ordered a lot to be draAvn 
by the i:>risoners at Lancaster, Penn. It fell upon 



AGE 50.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 203 

Capt. Asgill, a young man nineteen years old, and 
an only son. He was very brave and firm, and his 
companions were extremely angry with Sir Henry 
Clinton for permitting him to suffer. 

There were long delays in the business ; and at 
last some facts came to Washington's knowledge, 
which led him to advise Capt. Asgill's release. 
Lady Asgill, his mother, also begged the French 
government to interfere ; and, in November, Con- 
gress allowed the prisoner to go to England. The 
whole affair had been so distressing to Washington, 
that he ended a letter to Capt. Asgill by saying 
that the conclusion of it was "not a greater relief" 
to the prisoner than to himself. He had given 
orders that Capt. Asgill should always be treated 
with the greatest kindness ; and these orders were 
everywhere obeyed, for his hard fate excited gen- 
eral sympathy. 

Through this summer of 1782, the army was very 
discontented. Neither officers nor men had received 
pay for a long time, and were much afraid that they 
should not get their dues at the end of the war ; and 
there were days when provisions failed. As usual, 
Washington warmly represented to Congi-ess the 
distresses and needs of the army. 



204 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l7S2. 

In August, Sir Guy Carleton informed Gen. 
Washington that he had received news of a treaty 
of peace being begun at Paris ; but the CommaiKl- 
er-in-chief was still cautious, and unwilling to trust 
to appearances. The fact was, that, in Europe, a 
general peace had to be made, as France, Spain, 
and Holland had all been fighting against Great 
Britain ; and it was extremely doubtful if so many 
nations could be satisfied by any proposals. It was 
also thought very dishonorable for France and the 
United States, so long allies, to be in any way sep- 
arated in making peace. 

Count Rochambeau with his army established 
himself, by Washington's advice, near the American 
head-quarters at Newburgh, on the Hudson. As 
before, great friendliness prevailed between the 
troops ; but the American officers had a good deal 
to bear from their extreme destitution. " Only con- 
ceive the mortification they must suffer, even the 
general officers," wrote Washington, " when they 
cannot invite a French officer, a visiting friend, or 
a travelling acquaintance, to a better repast than 
whiskey, hot from the still, and not always that, 
and a bit of beef without vegetables, will afford 
them." 



AGl-: 50.] GKORGK WASHINGTON. 205 

Congress and the Secretary of War might well 
be moved at the letters Gen. Washington sent them, 
describing the hardships, the great patience, and at 
last the strong spirit of discontent, of the army. But 
what could they do? Money alone would put an 
end to such troubles ; and money the separate States 
did not supply, and Congress did not know how to 
get at it. 

The gloomy temper of the army was the chief 
reason which led Gen. Washington to spend the 
winter of 1782-83 at head-quarters. There was 
really no military business to be attended to; but 
he knew that his presence and influence were pow- 
erful with both officers and men; and he was so 
truly attached to those with whom he had long 
served, that he trusted and hoped no impatient or 
rebellious act would injure the fame of this much- 
enduring, patriotic army. 

His fears and his precautions were not unreason- 
able. The idleness of the winter set them all think- 
ing and talking. As they recollected the snowy nights 
they had spent in marching over the frozen ground, 
or sleeping in their cold huts ; their tedious journeys 
under summer suns; their labors in digging and 
building ; their want of food ; their want of clothes ; 



20G GKORGK WASHINGTON. [l783. 

the deaths of their comrades in the hospitals or on 
the field, — they felt bitterly that their countrymen 
were ungrateful, and that the army deserved better 
treatment. The officers had something of a recom- 
pense in the glory they had won ; but they had often 
been obliged to spend their own money in keeping 
np the dress and appearance proper for their rank ; 
and they looked forward to a very gloomy future, 
when they should be old and poor, and perhaps 
infirm from their wounds. 

In March, 1783, a meeting of officers was called 
by an anonymous paj^er, which was written with 
great zeal, and excited all the passions which Gen. 
."Washington was particularly anxious to quiet. He 
therefore called a meeting on another day; and, 
before it took place, had conversations with as many 
officers as possible. When the time came he read 
an address, Avhich he had carefully prepared. He 
urged them still to trust to their country's justice, 
and to preserve the patience and forbearance which 
had distinguished them hitherto. He spoke in the 
most affectionate manner, as a true friend, and prom- 
ised again to support their cause, as he had so often 
done in past years. 

One little circumstance touched the officers very 



AGE 51.] GEORGE AVASHINGTON. 207 

much. Washington read the first paragraph of this 
letter ; then stopped and put on spectacles, saying to 
the listeners, in the simplest manner, that " he had 
grown gray in their service, and now found himself 
growing blind." Every one was moved; but they 
little knew then the number and variety of letters, 
besides other papers, he wrote. Secretaries, to be 
sure, could relieve him from the use of his pen; 
but he had to think for them all. The result of this 
meeting Avas, that the officers passed such resolu- 
tions as Washington entirely approved. 

And thus, by the power of his character, a vast 
amount of mischief was prevented ; for when men 
are excited, as these officei^ were, by real wrongs 
and sufferings, and come together to discuss them, 
some hasty words are almost always uttered ; and a 
quarrel between Congress and the army would have 
been lamentable indeed, when the war was so nearly 
at an end. 

The Commander-in-chief wrote, at the request of 
the meeting, a full account of the affairs of the offi- 
cers to the President of Congress. This trouble, 
Avhich had been so threatening, in the end did but 
strengthen the affection which bound together the 
General and his officers. It is only just to add, that 



208 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l7S3. 

a proper settlement of accounts was made by Con- 
gress. 

In April, tlie long-expected peace was proclaimed. 
The British immediately began to leave the places 
they held in the United States ; but ships enough 
were not to be had at short notice. With the troops, 
many unhappy Tories were obliged to sail away to 
Nova Scotia. 

Congress had no money to pay the soldiers with ; 
but the Commander-in-chief gave leave to many of 
the men to go home. They left the camp, some- 
times alone, sometimes in little parties of neighbors ; 
and there was never any reason for calling them 
back. They were kindly treated everywhere along 
the road, and w^ere welcome at their homes. In 
time, their certificates were turned into money. 

The officers were very reluctant to part. The 
eight years they had spent together had brought 
about many friendships, and the idea of being scat- 
tered over all the thirteen States was truly painful. 
Gen. Knox, always warm-hearted, proposed to form 
a society of officers to meet for friendly purposes, 
and to help the poor among their number. They 
selected a badge, took the name of the " Society of 
the Cincinnati," and chose Gen. Washington for 
their fust President. 



AGE 51.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 209 

Before the army .was entirely broken up, and 
Washington resigned his office, he wrote a letter to 
all the governors of the different States. He spoke 
of being about to retire to the private life he loved ; 
and, after dwelling on the goodness of God in 
bringing the war to such a happy end, described the 
great advantages of the United States, and the way 
in which he hoped they would be governed. This 
letter is one proof among a great many of the dif- 
ference between Washington and all other generals. 
He was not solely interested in the military affairs of 
his country. He cared for a good, honest govern- 
ment. He wanted to see the. United States free and 
happy, and honorable among nations. For his coun- 
trymen he had freely risked his life, and his best 
thoughts were always given to their service. 

In June, there was a slight mutiny among some of 
the Pennsylvania soldiers, who gave a great deal of 
trouble at Philadelphia. These men had been with 
the army but a little while, and their misconduct 
seemed only to set off in brighter light the virtues 
of Washington's veterans. 

In the course of this summer, Gen. Washington 
made a journey to New York to visit some of the 
places noted in the war ; such as the spot, ne*r Fish- 

14 



210 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l783. 

kill, where Gen. Burgoyne surrendered; Lake 
George ; and the fort at Ticonderoga, famous for many 
a battle. In travelling through this §tate, he was 
struck with the importance of connecting the Hudson 
River with the great lakes of the West.* 

Early in November, the army was disbanded. 
Washington's last orders were a congratulation on 
the termination of the war, thanks for the faithful 
services men and officers had alike performed, and a 
prayer for God's blessing on them. 

On the 25th of November, Gen. Washington, with 
the troops who were still to be employed by Con- 
gress, entered the city of New York, which had been 
in the possession of the British for seven years. In 
a few days, he was ready to go to Annapolis to 
resign his commission to Congress. The principal 
officers of the army assembled at a tavern near 
Whitehall Ferry to take leave of him. When the 
Commander-in-chief saw all these old companions 
together, his usual composure of manner failed him. 
He filled a glass of wine, and, looking at them rather 
sadly, said : " With a heart full of love and gratitude, 
I now take leave of you, most devoutly wishing that 

* Thft has since been done by the Erie Canal and by railroads. 



AGE 51.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 211 

your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as 
your former ones have been glorious and honorable." 
Having drunk to these words, he added, " I cannot 
come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be 
obliged if each of you will come and take me by the 
hand." 

" Gen. Knox, who stood nearest him, was the first 
to advance. Washington, affected even to tears, 
grasped his hand, and gave him a brother's em- 
brace. In the same affectionate manner he took 
leave of the rest. Not a word was spoken." In 
silence, too, they followed him from the house to the 
ferry. He entered his barge, and, turning round, 
took off his hat, and waved to them a last farewell. 
They returned it, and watched the boat till it was 
out of sight. 

On his way to Annapolis, he stopped to settle his 
accounts at Philadelphia. You will remember that 
he had refused to receive any kind of pay. He had 
kept accurate lists of his expenses ; but, in some 
instances, he had lost his own money by using it for 
public purposes, and forgetting to put it down in his 
private account. 

As he passed through the towns of New Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, and Maryland, the scenes of so many 



212 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. [l784. 

hardships and anxieties, he was everywhere received 
with enthusiasm. At Annapolis, he gave up his 
commission to the President of Congress, and made 
a short but dignified and solemn address. The next 
day he hastened to Mount Vernon ; and Christmas 
Eve saw him once more " a private citizen on the 
banks of the Potomac." 

For some time after his return home, Washington 
was almost shut up by the snow and ice of a very 
severe winter, and must have led a quiet life ; but 
he did not at once lose his habits of business. He 
expected to hear the \iamp-noises, and, when he 
awoke in the morning, would begin to think over the 
affairs of the day. 

As the spring opened, visitors began to pour in 
upon Mount Vernon. They were cordially received 
by both Gen. and Mrs. "Washington, but without 
show. "My manner of living," he wrote to a friend, 
" is plain ; and I do not mean to be put out of it. 
A glass of wine and a bit of mutton are always 
ready ; and such as will be content to partake of 
them are always welcome. Those who expect more 
will be disappointed." He was not so rich as before 
the war, because the country was in so troubled a 
state, and because his plantations had not produced 
so nuich in his absence. 



AGE 52.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 213 

He now employed himself in the care of his 
estate. He studied the way to improve the land, 
and took great pains to beautify it with trees and 
vines ; often planting and transplanting with his own 
hands. lie loved the country, and was truly hospi- 
table ; so that this mode of life seems to have been a 
very happy one for him, except that he was obhged 
to write so many letters. 

In August, he had again the pleasure of receiving 
the Marquis de Lafayette, not as before, at a home 
in camp, but in his own house. During this sum- 
mer, he also went to the West to examine his lands 
on the Ivenawha and Ohio Rivers. As in New 
York, he was quite impressed with the desirableness 
of connecting the Western rivers with those which 
flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The Western States 
were then but little settled ; and it was very impor- 
tant that the thirteen States along the coast should 
have more influence over them than the Spaniards 
on the Mississippi, or the British at the North. 

Washington, always zealous for the prosperity of 
his country, warmly urged the Legislature of Vir- 
ginia to take some decided steps in the matter ; and, 
through his exertions, two companies for opening 
the navigation of the James and Potomac Rivers 



214 GKOK(iE WASTIIN(rrON. [l784. 

were formed, of both of which he was chosen Presi- 
dent. He also wrote a letter to the President of 
Congress, calling his attention to the same subject. 

In the autumn of 1784, Washington and Lafay- 
ette — friends so unlike, yet so warmly attached to 
each other — parted for the third and last time. 
The General accompanied Lafayette from Mount 
Vernon to Annapolis to delay the evil hour as long 
as possible, and thus describes his feelings as he 
turned back: "In the moment of our separation, 
upon the road as I travelled, and every hour since, I 
have felt all that love, respect, and attachment for 
you, with which length of years, close connection, 
and your merits have inspired me. I often asked 
myself, as our carriages separated, whether that was 
the last sight I ever should have of you ; and, 
though I wished to answer ' No,' my fears answered 
^Yes.'" 

Washington's correspondence with the French 
officers Avho had been in this country, and with his 
many friends both in and out of the army, was a 
great pleasure ; but he was teased by many other 
letters of compliment and of business, — " inquiries," 
he says, " which would require the pen of an histo- 
rian to satisfy." His time was so engrossed by writ- 



AGE 53.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 215 

ing, that his health began to suffer ; and he at last 
employed a private secretary. This gentleman (a 
Mr. Lear) said, after living in his family two years, 
'• I have never found a single thing that could lessen 
my respect for Gen. Washington. A complete 
knowledge of his honesty, uprightness, and candor, in 
all his private transactions, has sometimes led me to 
think him more than a man." 

Miss Custis, who was at this time a little child in 
his house, says of Washington, " I have sometimes 
made him laugh most heartily from sympathy with 
my joyous and extravagant spirits ; but," she ob- 
serves, "he was a silent, thoughtful man. He 
spoke little generally, — never of himself. I never 
heard him relate a single act of his life during the 
war. I have often seen him perfectly abstracted, his 
lips moving ; but no sound was perceptible." 

Strangers coming to Mount Vernon approached 
Washington with awe, from knowing the majesty of 
his character ; but they found a quiet country gentle- 
man, most attentive to his guests, and ready to talk 
about farming, or public affairs, but not of the war. 
They were often disappointed that he would not 
" fight his battles o'er again." 

But, though Washington was habitually grave, he 



216 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l7S5. 

could laugh heartily enough when he saw anything 
droll. There is a story told of two judges coming to 
see him at Mount Vernon, who travelled on horse- 
back, and, finding themselves very dusty, stopped in 
a wood, just on the edge of his estate, to dress them- 
selves before appearing at the house. They quickly 
pulled off their travelling-suits, while a servant 
unlocked their large portmanteau. Out flew cakes 
of Windsor soap, and all sorts of articles which ped- 
dlers sell; but their clothes were not to be seen. 
Their trunk had been exchanged for that of a 
Scotch peddler at the last inn where they stopped. 
The judges could not help laughing at their own 
condition and the blank face of the negro ser- 
vant. Washington, hearing the noise, came up, 
and was so overcome by the strange appearance of 
his friends and the drollness of the scene, that he is 
said to have rolled on the grass with laughter. 

Col. Henry Lee, of Virginia, was a frequent guest 
at Mount Vernon, and was not at all restrained by 
reverence for Washington. There can be no doubt 
that the General enjoyed other peoples' good spirits, 
if he were not gay himself. He was fond of dancing 
as late as the middle of the war ; for Gen. Greene 
writes from Middlebrook, in 1779, " We had a little 



AGE 54.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 217 

dance at my quarters. His Excellency and Mi*s. 
Greene danced* upwards of three hours, without 
once sitting down. UiJon the whole, we had a 
pretty little frisk." 

Washington could not bear to check the liveliness 
of young persons. He would leave the room, and 
keep himself out of sight, rather than prevent their 
talking and laughing. A story is told of him at 
Morristown, which shows how, in his high position, 
he kept the same rule of thinking of others which 
he laid down for himself in his boyhood. He was 
present at a religious meeting in the open air. A 
chair had been placed for him. Just before the ser- 
vice began, a woman, with a child in her arms, drew 
near. The Commander-in-chief immediately gave 
her his own seat, and stood during the whole ser- 
vice. 

In the summer of 1786, Washington lost one of 
his dearest friends, — Gen. Greene, who died sud- 
denly at Savannah. They had many qualities alike ; 
and Greene's brave, cheerful, faithful spirit had won 
Washington's strong affection. They had shared 
anxieties, cares, hardships, and labors ; they looked 

* Do you think they were dancing the Lancers ? 



218 GEORGE WASHINGTON. fl786. 

forward to enjoying together the peace and prosper- 
ity of the country they both loved so well : but death 
released Gen. Greene from many cares which were 
still to trouble his beloved friend. 

His happy life at Mount Vernon could never 
withdraw Washington's thoughts from the state of 
the nation. He was by no means satisfied. The 
government was feeble, and very poor ; trade did 
not revive, as was expected, at the end of the war ; 
the national debt was not paid ; the separate States 
were jealous of each other ; and, in the autumn of 
1786, there was a rebellion in Massachusetts. 

Washington's numerous correspondents wrote to 
him very gloomily, and he could not return cheerful 
answers. To Gen. Knox he wrote : " I feel, my 
dear Gen. Knox, infinitely more than I can express 
to you, for the disorders which have arisen in 
these States. Good God! who, besides a Tory, 
could have foreseen, or a Briton predicted them ? I 
do assure you, that even at this moment, when I 
reflect upon the present prospect of our afiiiirs, it 
seems to me to be like the vision of a dream." And 
in another letter he says : " It was but the other day 
that we were shedding our blood to obtain the con- 
stitutions under wdiich we now live, — constitutions 



AGE 55.J GEORGE WASHINGTON. 219 

of our own choice and making ; and now w^e are 
unsheathing the sword to overturn them ! " 

A plan was formed for delegates from all the 
States to meet in Philadelphia, in the spring of 1787, 
to endeavor to correct the weaknesses and defects of 
the system of government. Gen. Washington re- 
fused to be a delegate ; but the State of Virginia 
absolutely insisted on his services. He had declared 
publicly and solemnly, at the end of the war, that his 
future life would be strictly private, and he was un- 
willing to appear changeable ; but he was so strongly 
urged to give the weight of his character and influ- 
ence to this Convention, that he felt it his duty to go. 

He was chosen President of the Convention.* 
The debates were long and interesting ; a vast 
amount of business was accomplished ; and, after 
four months of labor, the delegates agreed upon the 
form of government under which we live, — the 
Constitution of the United States. It was afterwards 
altered a little ; but, in substance, the government 
framed for the thirteen old States still holds to- 
gether more than thirty. 

* Being determined, as usual, to understand the business, 
Washington studied all the governments under which there are 
separate States. 



220 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l788. 

The Constitution was probably not entirely satis- 
factory to any man engaged in making it ; but it was 
the best thing they could all agree upon. Of course, 
all the States were eager for their own interests ; but 
each one was obliged to give way on certain points. 
Col. Alexander Hamilton, Gen. "Washington's former 
aid, distinguished himself much in this Convention. 
The Constitution was offered to the States, to be by 
them accepted or refused. 

Washington returned to Mount Vernon in a much 
happier frame of mind than when he left it. 'Not 
that he thought the work perfect ; but it was better 
than he had feared it might be, and he thought 
it contained the great principles necessaiy for the 
good government of the United States. He was 
quite aware that many people would be dissatisfied 
with it; he did not expect all his own friends to 
agree with him ; but he hoped, and, above all, he 
trusted in God, who had brought his country out of 
many troubles. 

In the course of the next year, eleven States 
accepted the Constitution. The next thing was to 
choose a President. The whole nation turned to 
Washington. His friends from every part of the 
country wrote to him that he was the man to begin 



AGE 56.] GP:0RGE WASHINGTON. 221 

the new government; that he alone could quiet all 
discords, unite all opinions, and give to the country 
its much-needed repose and happiness. 

All this honor and respect, this call from a nation's 
voice, could not rouse one spark of vanity or exulta- 
tion in Washington. To his friends he expressed 
only regret at leaving home, and unwillingness to 
take up the burden of public life. For instance, to 
Mr. Hamilton he wrote : " You know me well 
enough, my good sir, to be persuaded that I am not 
guilty of affectation when I tell you that it is my 
great and sole desire to live and die in peace and 

retirement on my own farm Still, I hoi>e I 

shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to 
maintain, what I consider the most enviable of all 
titles, the character of an honest man." And again, 
later : " Li taking a survey of the subject, in what- 
ever point of light I have been able to place it, I have 
always felt a kind of gloom upon my mind as often 
as I have been taught to expect I might, and perhaps 
must erelong, be called to make a decision." And 
in a letter to Col. Trumbull : " I believe you know me 
sufficiently well, my dear Trumbull, to conceive that 
I am veiy much perplexed and distressed in my own 
mind respecting the subject to which you allude. 



222 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l789. 

.... May Heaven assist me in forming a judgment ! 
for, at present, I see nothing but clouds and darkness 
before me." In another letter: "After all, if I 
should conceive myself in a manner constrained to 
accept, I call Heaven to witness that this act would 
be the greatest sacrifice of my personal feelings and 
wishes that ever I have been called upon to make." 

Gen. Wasliington was, of course, cautious in writ- 
ing on this subject, as he did not choose to take it 
for granted that he should be elected. He sincere- 
ly hoped that some other person, as able and more 
willing to serve, might be chosen ; but there was no 
such man in the United States ; and gradually the 
letters of public men convinced him that it was his 
duty to undertake the office. Gov. Johnson, of 
Maryland, seems to have said all in a few words : 
" We cannot, sir, do without you ; and I and thou- 
sands more can explain to anybody but yourself why 
we cannot do without you." 

The election for President and Vice-President did 
not take place until January, 1789 ; and, by that 
time. Gen. Washington had decided to accept the 
office. He received the vote of all the States. Mr. 
John Adams, of Massachusetts, was the Vice-Pres- 
ident. 



AGE 57.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 223 

On the 16th of April, 1789, he left Mount Ver- 
non * to go to New York. In his Diary he wrote : 
" About ten o'clock, I bade adieu to jMount Vernon, 
to j^rivate life, and to domestic felicity; and, with 
a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful 
sensations than I have words to express, set out for 
New York, with the best disposition to render service 
to my country in obedience to its call, but with less 
hope of answering its expectations." 

This is not the common way of receiving the 
greatest honor that a nation has to give. Washing- 
ton knew that he was looked upon, in the United 
States and in Europe, as the protector of his country. 
He had been told, over and over again, of the 
gratitude of his countrymen at the end of the war : 
and now they had put their trust in him to guide 
their new government; and yet he was so truly 
humble, that he doubted if he could discharge well 
his new and important duties. Men are usually 
more ready to believe the praise they hear. 

His journey was one continued triumph. He was 
everywhere met by magistrates and processions ; 

* Before quitting home, he paid a last visit to his mother, who 
was ill, and not likely to recover. 



224 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l789. 

citizens and old soldiers poured forth to see him ; 
bells were rung, cannon fired, addresses made ; and 
especially in New Jersey, where he had endured so 
many trials, all was now joy and welcome. 

At the New York Ferry, a splendid barge was 
prepared for him. All the vessels in the harbor 
were gayly dressed with flags. He landed amid 
salutes of cannon, ringing of bells, and the shouts of 
the crowd. At the pier stood Gen. Knox, with Gov. 
Clinton, — " true and tried " friends of the Revolu- 
tionary days. A long train of persons followed him 
as he walked to the house prepared for him. 

On the 30th of April, 1789, Washington took 
the solemn oath to perform the duties of the Pres- 
ident of the United States. The Senate, House 
of Representatives, and Vice-President, were as- 
sembled in the Senate Chamber of New York. In 
front of the room was a large balcony, in which a 
table had been placed. On the table lay a Bible. 
An immense multitude filled the streets, and the 
windows and roofs of the neighboring houses. Ev- 
ery eye was fixed on Washington as he appeared 
on the balcony, accompanied by many distinguished 
persons. He came to the front of the balcony, and 
bowed several times in answer to the shouts which 



AGE 57.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 225 

greeted him, and then drew back to an arm-chair 
which stood near the table. The people saw that 
he was overcome, and became perfectly still. "After 
a few moments, ^Washington rose, and again came 
forward. John Adams, the Vice-President, stood 
on his right; on his left, the Chancellor* of the 
State of New York; behind him, Mr. Sherman, 
Mr. Alexander Hamilton, Generals Knox and St. 
Clair, the Baron Steuben, and others. The oath 
was read by the Chancellor, slowly and distinctly ; 
Washington, at the same time, laying his hand on 
the open Bible. AVlien it was concluded, he replied 
solemnly, ' I swear ; so help me, God ! ' He then 
bowed down reverently, and kissed the Bible. 
"The Chancellor now stepped forward, waved his 
hand, and exclaimed, * Long live George Wash- 
ington, President of the United States ! ' At this 
moment a flag was displayed on the cupola of the 
hall, which was the signal for a discharge of artil- 
lery, and a joyful peal from all the bells in the 
city. Shouts again filled the air." 

Washington, after bowing again to the people, 
returned into the Senate Chamber, and addressed 

* The judge of one of the courts in New York. 



^'2Q GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l7S9. 

the Senators and Representatives of the United 
States. His voice was "deep, slightly tremulous, 
and so low as to demand close attention in the lis- 
teners." After the address, the trhole body went 
on foot to St. Paul's Church, where prayei-s were 
read. The day was given up to rejoicings; and 
in the evening there were illuminations and fire- 
works. 

Perhaps you will like to know, that, on tliis im- 
portant occasion, Washington was dressed in a suit 
of dark-brown cloth of American manufacture. He 
wore white-silk stockings* and silver shoe-buckles, 
and a steel-hilted sword. His hair was powdered, 
and tied behind, according to the fashion of that 
time. 

President Washington entered upon his new du- 
ties with the most sincere distrust of his own pow- 
ers. To a friend he wrote : " I greatly apprehend 
that my countrymen will expect too much from 

me I feel, in the execution of the duties 

of my arduous office, how much I shall stand in 
need of the countenance and aid of every friend to 

* Pantaloons were not then -worn. The cloth breeches joined 
the stockings just below the knee. 



AGE 57.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 227 

myself, of every friend to the Revolution, and of 
every lover of good government I thank you, my 
dear sir, for your affectionate expression on this 
point." 

He employed the leisure which he had for the 
first few weeks after his arrival in New York in 
studying the records of all that had passed between 
tlie United States and foreign governments since 
the treaty of peace with Great Britain in 1783. 
His office of President was an entirely new one 
in the world, and he was anxious to take the first 
steps with propriety and dignity. But, just because 
it was a new office, he was peculiarly exposed to 
criticism. Some people were afraid he behaved 
too much like a king; which was a most unj^leas- 
ant idea to all Americans, and particularly so to 
Washington. 

It was very soon necessary to establish some 
rules for receiving company. Visitors came all 
day long, and the President had hardly time to 
eat his dinner. After consulting several of his 
friends, he decided to receive company twice a 
week, — once with Mrs. Washington, and once 
alone. He invited foreign ministers, senators and 
representatives, and distinguished strangers, to dine 



228 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l789. 

with him occasionally; but accepted no invitations, 
and made no visits. People who came on busi- 
ness saw the President by appointment; or at the 
hours given up to business ; but it was impossible 
for him to be interrupted at every moment ; for he 
had an enormous number of letters and despatches* 
to read and answer. 

As to expenses, he had, as before, refused to 
receive any compensation. The salary of the 
President was fixed by law at twenty-five thousand 
dollars. It was supposed that he would be obhged 
to spend the whole of this sum. His style of living 
was simple ; and Mrs. Washington entirely agreed 
with him " as to simplicity of dress, and everything 
which can tend to support propriety of character, 
without partaking of the follies of luxury and os- 
tentation." 

In the course of the summer. Congress divided 
the business of the nation into departments; and 
the President appointed Mr. Thomas Jefferson, of 
Virginia, Secretary of State. He was to manage 
the intercourse of the United States with other na- 
tions. He appointed Mr. Alexander Hamilton 

* A letter, or package of letters, on public business. 



AGE 57.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 229 

Secretary of the Treasury. His business related 
to money, — to collecting it, and paying it out. 
Gen. Knox, of Massachusetts, was continued in the 
office of Secretary of War, and had the very small 
navy as well as the army under his control. Mr. 
Edmund Randolph, of Virginia, a distinguished law- 
yer, was the Attorney- General. These gentlemen 
formed the President's Cabinet, as it is called ; and 
the people hoped much from their new government, 
when they saw men of so great talent engaged in its 
service. 

The President also appointed Mr. John Jay, of 
New York, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of 
the United States. He considered this perhaps the 
most important choice he was called upon to make, 
and he was fully satisfied when Mr. Jay accepted 
the office. 

The power of appointment to offices gave the 
President much trouble. He was determined to 
find, if possible, the best man for every place ; but 
he was sorry to refuse the many claimants, who 
urged some reason of friendship, or their father's 
military services to the country. He had resolved, 
before taking office, not to be bound to any one, — 
not even to his nearest friends, — but to do precisely 
what he judged best for the public. 



2oO GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l7S:). 

During the summer, President Washington liad a 
long and severe illness ; and, in October, he was 
glad to leave New York for about a month's journey 
in the New England States. He travelled in his 
own carriage, and went by way of New Haven, 
Hartford, Worcester, Boston, Salem, and Newbury- 
port, to Portsmouth in New Hampshire. He was 
everywhere received Avith the greatest respect and 
affection. Old people and young, soldiers and citi- 
zens, the learned and the ignorant, were alike eager 
to see him. Addresses were presented to him, mili- 
tary escorts accompanied him, and the magistrates of 
towns came out to meet him. The President could 
not fail to be pleased Avith all this enthusiasm. He 
looked upon it, not only as showing affection for him- 
self, but as a sign of good-will to the new govern- 
ment. He Avas also glad to see the country so 
flourishing. 

This w^as his third visit to Boston. The first time, 
he came to consult Gov. Shirley, in 1756 : he was 
then a gallant young officer, already knoAvn by the 
part he had played at Braddock's defeat. His 
second visit was in July, 1775, to take command of 
the poor, straggling patriot army encamped upon the 
hills : llie grave and anxious but determined Com- 



AGE 57.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 231 

mander-in-chief was then actually in the town for but 
a few days after the evacuation by the British. And 
now, in 1789, he came as the Chief Magistrate of 
the country to whose service he had devoted his 
youth and his manhood, crowned with the honor of a 
jDcace which he had won, but resigning his own 
wishes, and taking up again the burden of public 
cares. 

Among other public bodies, the Cincinnati of 
Massachusetts came together to welcome their chief ; 
and he rejoiced in the opportunity to meet his old 
friends again.* 

In a letter written to a Scotch lady after his 
return, the President says : " I have lately made a 
tour through tlie Eastern States. I found the coun- 
try in a great degree recovered from the ravages 
of war, the towns flourishing, and the people de- 
lighted with a government instituted by themselves, 
and for their own good." 

In the autumn of this year (1789), Washington's 
mother died, at the age of eighty-two. Her lot was 

* A ball was given to President Washington at Concert Hall, 
formerly in Court Street. ]\Iany ladies wore the letters " G. W.," 
and an eagle embroidered on some part of their dress, perhaps on 
a sash or bow of ribbon. 



232 GEORGE WASHINGTON. ' ^^ITQO. 

a rare one. She lived to see her son illustrious, 
with a spotless fame, and as much admired for the 
purity of his character as for his great acts ; but it 
is said that she used to listen to praise of him in 
silence, and once answered : " Yes, George Avas always 
a good boy." 

When Congress met again, in 1790, Mr. Hamil- 
ton, the Secretary of the Treasury, proposed a plan 
far paying the debts of the United States. This 
caused great discussion. People of the North and 
the South disagreed, the feelings of the different 
States were roused, and it seemed as if nothing 
would be done. But, at last, the Secretary's propo- 
sal carried the day. 

Another subject of importance was the choice of a 
place for the capital of the whole country. It was 
at length determined that Congress should meet for 
the next ten years at Philadelphia ; and, during that 
time, some spot on the Potomac River should be 
selected. The President had a good deal of trouble 
with this business ; but it is pleasant to remember 
that he fixed upon the place for the city which bears 
his name. People objected, at this time, to New 
York and Philadelphia, as being too far to the east 
and north, and not central enough for a seat of 



AGE 58.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 233 

government. How little they imagined, that, in sixty 
years, senators and representatives would travel from 
California to the banks of the Potomac! 

In the summer of 1790, the President made a 
little trip to Rhode Island, which had joined the 
Union since his former visit to the Eastern States. 

At this time, the President heard much of the dis- 
satisfaction of the Virginians. The question of the 
debts had embittered them ; and, with a very com- 
mon party-spirit, they grumbled about little matters 
as well as large. In answer to some rumors about 
the pomp of his parties, and his bows being stifFer 
than those of the King of England, the President 
wrote : " That I have not been able to make bows to 
the taste of poor Col. B. (who, by the by, I believe, 
never saw one of them), is to be regretted ; especial- 
ly, too, as on those occasions they were indiscrim- 
inately bestowed, and the best I was master of. 
Would it not have been better to throw the veil 
of charity over them, ascribing their stiffness to the 
effects of age or to the unskilfulness of my teacher, 
rather than to pride and dignity of office, which, God 
knows, has no charms for me ? For I can truly say, 
I had rather be at Mount Vernon,' with a friend or 
tAvo about me, than to be attended at the seat of 



234 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l790. 

government by the oflicers of slate, and the repre- 
sentatives of every power in Europe." 

So much business and so much company seem, at 
ail events, to have been more tlian the President's 
healtli could bear. He had another severe illness 
this year, and was truly thankful when a recess 
of Congress allowed him to retire to Mount Vernon 
for a refreshing autumn visit. He could not entirely 
leave business behind him ; but he enjoyed a more 
active life than he could possibly lead in New York. 

There were still some points of difficulty between 
Great Britain and the United States. It was sus- 
pected that British influence stirred up the Indians 
living northwest of the Ohio River, who were very 
troublesome to the inhabitants of the frontiers. 
With Spain, also, there was great danger of a 
serious difficulty, because she owned Florida and 
Louisiana, and discouraged the trade down the 
Mississippi, which the Western people were quite 
bent upon having. The President thought over all 
such matters with great care and attention, and was 
specially cautious about every step he took, because 
he believed a good heginning to be very important 
for a new government. 

In December, 1790, Congress met at Philadelphia, 



A.GE 58.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 235 

And the President also fixed his residence there. A 
new house, therefore, had to be chosen for him ; and 
he gave directions that it should not be a showy one. 
At the end of a letter to Mr. Lear on this subject, 
he says, " I had rather have heard that my repaired 
coach was plain and elegant, than rich and elegant." 

The most important subjects before Congress this 
winter ^svere, as usual, carefully considered by the 
President ; but he could not be indifferent to the 
party-spirit which ran high all over the country. 
The people who wanted to strengthen the general 
government were called Federalists : those who 
would have been glad to see the rights of the sepa- 
rate States still more marked than they were, were 
called Republicans, or Democrats. The Democrats 
sympathized with France ; the Federalists, rather 
more with England. Tlie President, of course, did 
not belong to either party, and the only thing in 
which they agreed was respect for him; but on 
every subject like taxes, . trade, or a bank, opinions 
were divided. 

In the recess of this spring. President Washington 
travelled through the Southern States. He was 
received with the same affectionate respect that had 
met him in other parts of the Union. Opposition to 



236 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l791. 

government, and dislike to any or all of the secreta- 
ries, disappeared in his presence ; and every one was 
eager to see the admired general and the disinterest- 
ed patriot. He deserved to be called the Father of 
his Country. 

He was well pleased with what he saw of the 
Southern States, and with the spirit of the people 
toAvards the new government. He wrote after his 
return : " Industry has there taken place of idleness, 
and economy of dissipation. Two or three years of 
good crops, and a ready market for the produce of 
their lands, have put every one in good-humor ; and, 
in some instances, they even impute to the govern- 
ment what is due only to the goodness of Provi- 
dence.'* 

It is remarkable, that, during this journey of the 
President, no delay or accident ever happened. He 
was absent three months, and travelled eighteen hun- 
dred and eighty-seven miles with the same horses. 
Before he left home, he had calculated distances, and 
had made up his mind where he would stop, and how 
long. He was probably quite pleased that he was 
able to be so exactly punctual. 

During the summer of 1791, a war was begun 
with the Indians northwest of the Ohio. President 



AGE 59.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 237 

Washington was exceedingly sorry for it. He 
always wished to treat the Indians in a mild and 
humane way; but there had been threatenings of 
trouble for a long time, and he was not surprised 
when it became necessary to send troops to that part 
of the country. The war was long, expensive, and, 
at first, anything but successful. 

In the winter of 1791 - 92, one of the most impor- 
tant subjects before Congress was the raising and 
drilling of national militia ; and the matter became 
much more interesting when the disasters and defeats 
of the first Indian campaign were known. 

In January, 1792, the first minister* was sent 
from this country to Great Britain. Mr. Thomas 
Pinckney, of South Carolina, was selected. It was 
a very hard thing for the King of England to 
receive an ambassador from a people whom he had 
long considered his own subjects. 

You must not imagine that President Washing- 
ton's occupation in public affairs prevented his think- 
ing of and writing to his friends. By his order and 



* A minister from one conntiy to another makes agreements 
of all sorts about trade, or anything else that is important. 
When two nations make war, the ministers are s«nt home. 



238 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l792. 

industry, he still found time to write letters to Lafay- 
ette, who was now a man of great importance 
in France. The President kept him informed of 
what was going on here, and in a letter dated June, 
1792, wrote: "The affairs of the United States still 
go on in a prosperous train. We increase daily in 
numbers and riches, and the people are blessed with 
the enjoyment of those rights which alone can give 
security and happiness to a nation Hamil- 
ton, Knox, Jay, and Jefferson are well, and remem- 
ber you with affection." 

The party-spirit of Americans has been before 
spoken of as a cause of trouble to the President. 
It reached even his Cabinet. Mr. Hamilton and 
Mr. Jefferson disagreed on almost every point of 
government. What one feared as a danger, the 
other believed to be a great blessing; what one 
thought a merit in the Constitution of the United 
vStates, the other considered a fault. When people 
disagree all the time, their tempers almost always 
become irritated : they begin to find fault with each 
other's actions, as well as opinions. So it was with 
these two gentlemen: their dislike amounted to a 
quarrel. In one thing only they agreed, luid that 
was attachment to President Washington. 



AGE GO.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 239 

He made repeated efforts to reconcile tliem. In 
August, 1792, he sent them both a letter, in which 
he recommended, in general terms, union among the 
members of government, and a disposition to work 
together, and to disregard trifles. In reply to their 
answers, he spoke more particularly to them ; as- 
sured them that he believed they were both patriotic 
in their views ; urged that, on such subjects, the best 
men might reasonably differ; and begged them to 
judge each other more gently. It Wiis all in vain : 
his calm reasoning did not prevail against their 
passions. 

This quarrel, however, did not prevent their dis- 
charging faithfully the duties of their offices ; nor 
did it interfere with their urging the President 
most eagerly to allow himself to be re-elected. He 
had hoped, and at one time determined, to retire 
at the end of the first four years. So many per- 
sons, however, entreated him still to serve his 
country, that he was at last convinced that it was 
his duty to continue in office. 

Very soon after the President took his second 
oath of office, the news of a most important event 
reached this country, and proved to every lover of 
peace and safety that his re-election had been the 



240 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l793. 

greatest possible blessing to the United States. 
France and Great Britain were again at war. A 
bloody revolution was going on in France. At 
first, Lafayette and many other good men had hoped 
that a free government might be established; but, 
as months passed by, the worst people rose to power ; 
horrible cruelties were committed, and the name of 
Liberty Avas used only as a cover for crimes. 

So many French officers had served in this coun- 
try, and had gone home enthusiastic for freedom, 
so many Americans believed that the government 
of their own country would be the best for all the 
world, that much sympathy had been felt for the 
French people. Even the President, with all his 
prudence, had looked hopefully upon the beginning 
of the great change. But, in this year (1793), the 
true character of the Revolution began to appear 
to his watchful eyes. He saw that there was no 
real government; that disorder and tumult reigned 
at Paris. He also foresaw that the French leaders 
would call upon the people of the United States to 
join them in a war against Great Britain ; that they 
would appeal to American gratitude, and would 
easily excite all the unthinking. After solemn de- 
liberation with his Cabinet, he decided to take no 



AGE Gl.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 241 

part in the war. Every American owes him and 
the Secretaries the warmest gratitude for the decis- 
ion which has kept us aloof from the constant wars 
of Europe. It Avould seem that the Atlantic Ocean, 
which rolls between us and Europe, might have 
taught us that neutrality* was our lot among the 
nations ; yet any other President than Washington 
might have easily entangled us in an alliance with 
France, and then we should have gone on joining 
in one war after another. 

But this decision, which seems now so wise and 
so simple, was hardly approved at the time. Peo- 
ple's passions were excited. Love of France and 
freedom, and the lingering dislike to England, made 
many men indignant at the part taken by the Pres- 
ident. The newspapers were violent. For the 
first time, the President's personal character was 
attacked. Those who had always been opposed to 
his government now showed themselves enemies to 
himself. What he felt may be judged from this 
passage in a letter to Gov. Lee, of Virginia (" Light- 
horse Harry" in the war): "But in what will this 



* The state of taking no part in a dispute, being on neither 
side. 



242 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l793. 

abuse terminate? For the result, as it respects 
myself, I care not ; for I have a consolation within, 
that no earthly efforts can deprive me of; and that 
is, that neither ambitious nor interested motives 
have influenced my conduct." 

The behavior of a new French minister, who ar- 
rived in this country in the spring of 1793, caused 
the President still more trouble. This was Mr. 
Genet, who landed at Charleston, and was received 
with great enthusiasm. Public meetings were held, 
at which an unbounded love and sympathy for 
France were expressed. He expected an equally 
warm reception from the President. He was dis- 
appointed. Washington expressed a cordial friend- 
ship and sincere gratitude to the French people, 
but made it plain that he had no idea of suffering 
this country to be drawn into the war. 

Soon Mr. Genet began to arm and send out ves- 
sels from our seaport towns to attack British 
vessels. This could not be allowed while the United 
States remained neutral. When the French minis- 
ter was told that he must put an end to all such 
doings, he flew into a violent rage, and used, both in 
writing and in talkinir, most improper language 
about the government. He declared that he would 



AGE 61.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 243 

appeal from the President to the people. This was 
the most odious thing he could have said in Amer- 
ica, where the President represents the people, and 
is, in truth, their servant ; or, as "Washington said, 
" if they were to go further, and call me their slave, 
during this period, I would not dispute the point." 

After some months, Mr. Genet's insults to gov- 
ernment became so offensive, that men's eyes were 
opened : they saw that he was entirely in the w^rong. 
It was necessary for the President to maintain his 
OAvn and the nation's dignity. He had waited 
patiently ; but at last he sent to Paris the very un- 
usual request, that Mr. Genet might be recalled. It 
required some courage to make this demand, of 
course unwelcome to France, and very displeasing to 
so many Americans ; but all ended well. A new 
minister was sent, who treated the President with 
perfect respect and politeness. 

In the mean time. Genet's popularity and loud 
talking had attracted the attention of the British min- 
ister. He had many complaints to bring forward 
concerning the temper and spirit shown 'both by the 
speaker and his hearers. He also called the atten- 
tion of government to the fact that a British trading- 
vessel had been captured by a French frigate within 



244 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l794. 

the Capes of the Delaware. There was also another 
cause of ill-feeling between this country and Great 
Britain. American sailors complained that they 
were taken out of merchant-ships, and compelled to 
serve in men-of-war, under pretence that they were 
Englishmen. The British captains of men-of-war 
probably sometimes made mistakes from the resem- 
blance in language and looks, but when they wanted 
men they would not be likely to be very careful to 
find out that a man was certainly born in Britain. 

Though the discontent on this subject increased, 
the President, instead of declaring war, sent Mr. Jay 
to London, to endeavor to settle peacefully these and 
some other questions. He was fortunate in having 
so wise a man to send, but the measure was not pop- 
ular. It did not suit excited minds. 

On the 1st of January, 1794, Mr. Jefferson, Sec- 
retary of State, resigned his office. He and the 
President exchanged good wishes and thanks for 
past services. One good result had followed from 
Mr. Genet's violence. Mr. Jefferson, though known 
as the head of the Democratic party, and attached to 
France, had publicly expressed his disapproval of 
his conduct. 

In August, 1794, the usual peace and quiet within 



AGE 62.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 245 

the United States were disturbed by a strange out- 
break in the western part of Pennsylvania. About 
three years before, a tax had been laid on distilled 
spirits. It was very unpopular in that region of the 
country; and, for some time, there had been com- 
plainings : but, during this summer, the people broke 
out into open violence. They refused to obey the 
sheriffs, and took up arms. Militia were collected in 
large bodies from the eastern part of Pennsylvania 
and from the neighboring States. The President 
inspected them, and had some thoughts of crossing 
the mountains with them ; but that seemed to be an 
unnecessary exertion, and he returned to Philadel- 
phia to meet Congress. 

The insurrection was 2^ut down without blood- 
shed ; in truth, the discontented had no real wrono; 
to complain of. The President looked upon it as a 
proof of the excitement of the whole nation : he also 
thought these misguided people had been stirred up 
by Jacobin societies. These were clubs formed to 
watch the government, it was said; but, under pre- 
tence of watching, they only abused it. They imi- 
tated French clubs, and used most passionate lan- 
guage. Washington had always disapproved of 
them, even before the Constitution was adopted. 



21:0 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l795. 

At the end of this year, Mr. Hamilton, Secretary of 
the Treasury, and Gen. Knox, Secretary of War, both 
resigned their offices. In losing them from among 
his advisers, the President missed tried and faithful 
friends. Their salaries were so small, that they 
both thought it necessary, for the sake of their fami- 
lies, to employ themselves in some other way. 

In March, 1795, came intelligence of a treaty * 
with Great Britain. It was the best Mr. Jay could 
obtain, but not quite as good as the President had 
hoped it might be. After a careful study of it, how- 
ever, he was satisfied to sign it; but, as soon as it 
was known to the public, a perfect storm of passion 
and abuse burst forth. It was said that England had 
all the advantages; and the friends of France rose 
up again with fresh zeal, and horribly bad temper. 
The President was not spared by their unbridled 
tongues. He was annoyed by the addresses which 
poured in upon him ; but you know him well enough, 
by this time, to feel certain that no harsh or false 
words would ever move him one hair's breadth 
from that line of action which he deemed useful to 
his country. 

* A treaty is an agreement between nations. It is often for the 
purpose of making peace, but it may relate to trade. 



AGE 63.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 247 

111 the autumn of 1795, there arrived in this coun- 
try George Washington Lafayette, the son of the 
Marquis, who had been for a long time imprisoned. 
The President had been extremely anxious about 
him ; had sent money to his wife ; and had offered 
to provide for this son, his namesake. He imme- 
diately began to pay the expenses of the boy's edu- 
cation. 

In the year 1795, our intercourse with foreign 
nations was improved. Treaties w^ere made with 
Spain and with Algiers. America began to take a 
proper place in the world. The President had 
always been extremely anxious to keep this country 
independent of others, and was pleased to see that 
his efforts for this purpose had been crowned with 
success. In a letter on this most interesting subject, 
he says, " In a word, I want an American character, 
that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act 
for ourselves, and not for others." 

In 1796, the treaty with Great Britain was again 
discussed by Congress with the same passion and 
abuse as before. The President was asked to show 
certain papers relating to it, which he declined to 
do ; proving once more that he would choose what 
he thought the rigid, rather tlian the popular course. 



24:8 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [lT9G. 

Ill May of this year, President Washington, as a 
last effort to obtain the release of his friend Lafay- 
ette, -wrote a letter to the Emperor of Germany, in 
which he spoke of his own friendship for the Mar- 
quis ; of the gratitude of all Americans to him ; of 
his severe sufferings ; and finally requested that he 
might be permitted to come to this country. It is 
not known whether this letter had any effect or not 
in making Lafayette's captivity milder or shorter. 
He was released in the year 1797, but did not visit 
this country again until 1825. The President had, 
before this time, tried to intercede for his friend by 
means of the ministers of the United States in other 
countries ; but he had not been able to effect much, 
for fear of involving the natiou. 

No sooner was the American excitement about the 
treaty a little subdued, than a French one began. 
The French government complained of it. The 
President took great pains to satisfy our former ally ; 
but, before many months had passed, he was forced 
to admit that her conduct was, according to his ideas 
of it, " outrageous beyond conception ; not to be war- 
ranted by her treaty witli us, by the law of nations, 
by any principles of justice, or even by a regard to 
decent appearances." France, on account of her 



AGE 64.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 249 

former aid, expected to iniluence the United States 
in every important action. 

In September, 1796, as the President had decided 
not to be elected again, he pubhshed his Farewell 
Address to the People of the United States. It con- 
tains his advice to ail Americans, — to us at the 
present day, as well as to those who were then alive. 
He advises us to be peaceable and honest towards 
all other nations, good-humored and brotherly among 
ourselves. He speaks of our great prospects of pros- 
perity and happiness, but admonishes us to gain for 
ourselves the character which makes a good use of 
happiness. 

You have been often told of "Washington's remark- 
able modesty. Perhaps there are few more striking 
proofs of it than these words, in which he speaks of 
his own services as President : " Not unconscious, in 
the outset, of the inferiority of my qualifications, ex- 
perience in m}' own eyes, perhaps still more in the 
eyes of others, has strengthened the motives to diffi- 
dence of myself; and, every day, the increasing 
weight of years admonishes me more and more, that 
the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it 
will be welcome." 

This address was received with great respect in 



250 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l797. 

all the States. Love and admiration for Washington 
lay really too deep in the hearts of the people to be 
uprooted by any storms of pai'ty passion, or by en- 
thusiasm for France. 

Mr. John Adams, of Massachusetts, was chosen 
President ; and Mr. Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, 
Vice-President. The election, and the threatening 
troubles with France, occupied public attention dur- 
ing the winter of 1796- 97. 

As the month of March drew nigh, the President 
looked forward joyfully to the day which should 
release him from office, and permit him to go home 
to Mount Vernon. Before that time, however, he 
wrote a letter to the Secretary of State, solemnly 
declaring that certain letters published as his in 1777 
were forgeries. They were then printed by the 
British to show that he was not the patriot general 
he appeared. In 1796, they were reprinted by some 
enemy of the President, who fancied he could attack 
the purity of such a character. It is not known 
who wrote them; but there were some particulars 
of Gen. Washington's private affairs correctly told. 
These gave the whole a natural air, and may per- 
haps have led some foolish persons into the mistake 
of believing they could be true. 



AGE 65.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 251 

The President also wrote a few affectionate fare- 
well letters to those friends who had been with him 
in public life. To Gen. Knox he says, " Although 
the prospect of retirement is most grateful to my 
soul, and I have not a wish to mix again in the great 
-world, or to partake in its politics, yet I am not 
Avithout my regrets at parting with (perhaps never 
more to meet) the few intimates whom I love ; and 
among these, be assured, you are one." 

"On the day before President "Washington re- 
tired from office, a large company dined with him. 
Among them w^ere the foreign ministers and their 
ladies, Mr. and Mrs. Adams, Mr. Jeffer.-^on, and 
other conspicuous persons of both sexes. During 
the dinner, much hilarity prevailed; but, on the 
removal of the cloth, it was put an end to by the 
President, certainly without design. Having filled 
his glass, he addressed the company, with a smile, 
in the following or similar " words : ' Ladies and 
gentlemen, this is the last time I shall drink your 
health as a public man. I do it with sincerity, 
wishing you all possible happiness.' There was 
an end of all pleasantry." Bishop White, who tells 
this story, happened to look at the wife of the 
British minister, Mrs. Liston, and saw tears run- 
nin<x dovv'n her cheeks. 



252 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [!797. 

On the 4th of March, "Washington with great 
pleasure saw the oath taken by Mr. Adams ; and, 
when he had paid his respects to the new Presi- 
dent, he gladly left Philadelphia for Mount Vernon. 
Before his departure, the citizens of Philadelphia 
gave him a public banquet, at which they spared 
neither pains nor expense to do him honor. 

He tried in vain to make his homeward journey 
a private one. People would not lose the oppor- 
tunity of expressing their gratitude and love ; and, 
for some time after his arrival at Mount Vernon, 
letters and addresses poured in upon him, just as 
they did after the ^vn.v. 

He immediately took up again his former course 
of life, and began to repair his buildings, to im- 
prove his farm, and to arrange his very important 
public papers. No wish for power, or regret at 
being no longer before the eyes of the world, ever 
disturbed the happiness of his retirement. Mrs. 
Washington's grandchildren lived with him, and 
other relations were often at Mount Vernon. 

Washington was extremely kind to his nephews : 
he had helped many of them to be educated, and 
was uniformly kind to their wives and children. 
Besides his own and Mrs. Washington's pro})erty, 



AGE G5.] GEORGE AVASHINGTON. 253 

he had to take care of severa* estates belonging to 
children and widows, which had been left in his 
charge. He has described his own life in a letter 
to Mr. M'Hemy, dated May, 1797: — 

"Dear Sir, — I am indebted to you for several 
unacknowledged letters. But never mind that : go 
on as if you had answers. You are at the source 
of information, and can find many things to relate ; 
while I have nothing to say that could either in- 
form or amuse a Secretary of War in Philadelphia. 
I might tell him*that I begin my diurnal* course 
with the sun ; that, if my hirelings are not in their 
places at that time, I send them messages of sorrow 
for their indisposition ; that, having put these wheels 
in motion, I examine the state of things further; 
that, the more they are probed, the deeper I find 
the wounds which my buildings have sustained by 
an absence and neglect of eight years ; that, by the 
time I have accomplished these matters, breakfast 
(a little after seven o'clock) is ready ; that, this be- 
ing over, I mount my horse, and ride round my 
farms, which employs me until it is time to dress 
for dinner, at which I rarely miss seeing strange 
faces, — come, as they say, out of respect for me. 

* Daily. 



254 GEORGE WASHINGTON. [l798. 

Pray, would not the word ' curiosity ' answer as 
well ? And how different this from having a few 
social friends at a cheerful board I The u.-ual time 
of sitting at table, a walk, and tea, bring me within 
the dawn of candle-light; previous to which, if not 
prevented by company, I resolve that I will retire 
to my writing-table, and acknowledge the letters I 
have received ; but, w-hen the lights are brought, I 
feel tired and disinclined to engage in this work, 
conceiving that the next night will do as w^ell. The 
next night comes, and with it the same causes for 
postponement ; and so on. 

"This will account for your letter having re- 
mained so long unacknowledged ; and, having given 
you the history of a day, it will serve for a year; 
and I am persuaded you will not require a second 
edition of it." 

But it did not serve for as many years as Wash- 
ington hoped it might. 

In 1798, our government felt it necessary to pre- 
pare for war with France. In July, 1798, Pres- 
ident Adams appointed Gen. Washington Com- 
mander-in-chief of all the American armies. He 
was so urged and entreated to take the office, that 
he consented once more to give his time and strength 
to his country. 



AGE 67.] GKORGE WASHINGTON. 2o5 

It was no light task to form and arrange a new 
army. The officers Avho had served in the Revohi- 
tionary war naturally expected high rank ; but Gen. 
Washington was not in favor of employing many of 
them. He thought that the whole system of fight- 
ing ought to be quite different from that pursued 
against the British. He wished the French never 
to be allowed to land on the coast ; and therefore 
he desired to have quick marches, and brilliani, dash- 
ing attacks. For such service, he considered young 
officers better suited than old ones. 

He was perfectly beset by applicants for rank in 
the new army, who either wrote to him, or came to 
Mount Vernon to see him; and his correspondence 
became as enormous as in former years. Col. Ham- 
ilton was appointed a major-general, and his sugges- 
tions were always gladly received by the Command- 
er-in-chief. 

Preparations went on, and the thoughts of all 
patriots turned anxiously to Europe ; but in Decem- 
ber, 1799, war had not been declared. 

On the 12th of December, Gen. "Washington, 
while taking his usual ride on horseback, was exposed 
to very bad weather, — rain, hail, and snow, with a 
cold wind blowing. The next day his family 



256 CEOKGE WASHINGTON. [l799. 

observed that he had a slight cold ; but he took no 
notice of sucli trifling ailments. 

The day after (the 14th of December), before it 
was light in the morning, he had so bad a sore-throat 
that he breathed with difficulty, and could hardly 
speak. Through the day he suffered much, and the 
physicians could do nothing to relieve him. His 
mind was perfectly clear, and he believed he should 
not recover. He gave his will to Mrs. Washington, 
left a few directions with his private secretary, and 
asked him if he could mention anything important to 
be done. In spite of his difficulty in speaking, he 
thanked all those who tried to make him more com- 
fortable. He also expressed his perfect willingness 
to die. Between ten and eleven o'clock at night, he 
ckew his last breath. His spirit returned to God, 
who gave it, and who granted to America Washing- 
ton's spotless life and noble example. 

The mourning for his death spread over the whole 
nation. Congress and the President received the 
news with sincere sorrow ; and the people felt that 
they had lost their protector, the Father of his 
Country. Other nations also expressed publicly their 
reverence for his character and admiration for his 



AGE 67.] GEORGE WASHINGTON. 257 

Very few men have had the opportunities of serv- 
ing their country at such important times in her 
history; none have left a fame so free from stain. 
Glory, admiration, honor, and power never led him 
from his straight course of modesty and uprightness. 
How could he thus resist temptation ? How did' he 
succeed in controlling his passions ? 

There is but one answer. Washington was a 
religious man. He trusted in God, and was brave 
and hopeful, when all was dark around him. He 
served God, and was faithful and true when he 
stood in high places. 

It is not any single talent which makes Washing- 
ton great, but his character. Wisdom and self- 
control fitted him to command others. No prejudice, 
no wish or dislike of his own, ever prevented his 
putting a man into the place where he could be 
most useful to his country. His mind and his heart 
were full of large ideas, always striving for the good 
of the whole nation, and no smaller object was 
allowed to interfere with them. The longer you live, 
the more you will value this broad, high, noble char- 
acter. It is the rarest in the world. 

Though so singularly free from bad passions, such 
as envy, jealousy, and selfish ambition, Washington 



17 



258 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

was by no means cold-hearted or indifferent. You 
have seen, from his earliest to his last campaign, how 
much he cared for his soldiers; you know what a 
warm, constant friend he was to many different 
persons; his letters still give many proofs of his 
thoughtful kindness to his own and his wife's rela- 
tions ; he was always mindful of the poor, and in the 
most private, quiet way ; and by his will he freed all 
his slaves. 

And if his letters to Mrs. Washington had been 
preserved, we might know much more of his feelings 
and of his home ; as it is, we have enough to be sure 
that they were worthy of his public course, and of 
the love and reverence of every American. 

Cannot we make ourselves more worthy to be his 
countrymen ? Cannot we learn his life hy heart, and 
be ready, as he was, to serve our country ? Proba- 
bly we shall have only small things to do, instead 
of his great ones ; but let us at least remember that 
Washington always did his best. 



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